Weaponized
by sxevlbtch
Summary: weap·on·ize - transitive verb 1. convert to use as a weapon. 2. supply or equip with weapons. - "What do you want her to do?" Rick Flag asks. Waller's mouth curls into a smirk like the cat that ate the canary. "I want her to bring me a weapon. Something capable of defending us against other meta-humans."
1. Prologue

AN: Ok, so this idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and after talking with Shenandoah76209 today, I felt like I had to get it out of my head and on paper. I hope you guys like this little prologue.

XXX

Prologue

XXX

…Gotham City, 6 months before the establishment of Task Force X...

12:03 AM.

That's what the clock on Amanda Waller's desk reads as she glances up from the paperwork. She only steals a glance before returning to the document she was reading. There's no reason to be impatient tonight. No, tonight would be one of the smoother meetings she would have, because it was just Colonel Flag and Dr. Moone. And she had them right where she wanted them.

She's just about to the end of the page when she heres the distinctive sound of combat boots clacking and heels clicking on the tile floor outside her office. There is a rather forceful knock at her office door a minute later.

"Come in." She says without bothering to look up.

"You wanted to see us?" Colonel Flag asks in his southern drawl.

"I did. Close the door." She replies, still without looking up.

It's only when she hears the door click closed that she bothers to look in their direction.

"Thank you both for coming." She says as she rises from her seat and moves to stand in front of her desk.

"What's this about Ma'am?" Colonel Flag says as he stands rigidly in front of Waller. The contrast between his rigid posture and Dr. Moone's skittish form is one that always amazed Waller. They were a study of opposites, those two.

Waller leans back against her desk. Her hands coming to rest on either side and one finger gently tapping on the desk.

"I'll be frank. The world changed when Superman flew across the sky. And it changed again when he didn't. We aren't living in a world where the public is oblivious to meta-humans anymore. And we need to be prepared for when the next ones emerge." Waller finishes with a pointed look at Dr. Moone.

Flag grimaces and moves closer to June. "You know she's not a threat, Waller."

"Do I?" Waller asks as she moves to stand in closer to Dr. Moone. "She opened something she shouldn't have. Releasing a meta-human more powerful than any we've encountered. And we don't even know the full extent of her powers."

Flag doesn't have a retort for Waller. He knows what she is saying is true, no matter how much he wants to try and deny it. Dr. Moone looks downcast and wraps her arms around herself, as if she is trying to cocoon herself for protection.

"What do you want her to do?"

Waller's mouth curls into a smirk like the cat that ate the canary. "I want her to bring me a weapon. Something capable of defending us against other meta-humans."

Dr. Moone's eyes snap up to Waller now. "Please, Please. I'm sorry. I can' ...I can't do that again. I can' …" She says stuttering.

Waller's eyes narrow into snake like slits. "You can, and you will. Right now."

"Waller be serious!" Flag tries to interject.

"I am serious. In a world of flying men and monsters, this is the only way to protect our country."

June looks at Flag pleadingly, but he has no other protest for Waller. He returns her look with one of sorrow. "June, Be strong!" He says as he gently places his hand on the small of her back to offer some form of comfort.

June sighs and walks forward, moving past Waller to stand in front of the desk. She braces herself against the desktop and closes her eyes.

"Enchantress." She whispers as the lights in the room flicker and then blackout.

XXX

…Elsewhere…

She is in a dream, but at the same time she isn't. She knows that when she opens her eyes the voices will fade away. Fall back into the recesses of her mind where she can keep them mostly at bay. But until her body catches up to her mind, she hears the voices.

They are all talking. Chattering like mockingbirds. Except one voice… calling out to her.

"You're all just floating…"

The girl's eyes snap open. She'd never heard that voice before. It sent prickles up her spine and forced her awake. That voice was loud enough to drown out the others… loud enough it could've been in the room with her.

She rises and sits on the edge of her bed, taking a moment to collect her thoughts and push theirs back.

But the strange voice is back… laughing. It's curious, like a bell calling her. She slips her feet into her worn boots by the side of the bed and let the laughter pull her from her room and down the hall.

It's strange… she knows it's not one of the others. Knows they are all sound asleep in their own dreamlands. The voice was right, they were all just floating amongst the stars.

"Begin at the beginning…" The voice calls out to her, echoing off the metal walls of the hallway.

She rounds a corner and comes into the open bay, the laughter continuing to lead her.

"and go on till you come to the end…"

She pauses. There was only one end in sight. Just a short distance across the bay. The inner airlock doors. Her feet continue to cary her until she is just outside them, peering into the inky blackness of the space beyond.

"Then stop."

That's when she sees her. See the woman's face in the reflection of the glass. Her dark, cold eyes are at the same level as her own, and hold a silent promise. Like she had lived a thousand lives before and her eyes reflected things to come. Her hair was matted, and seemed to have small bits of glass and other things woven into the strands. And from what she could see of the rest of the woman, she seemed adorned with other bits and bobs of metal and ink around her body.

"Curiouser and curiouser." She says to herself.

"Well, now that we have seen each other," said the woman, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you."

The girl doesn't say anything but slowly nods her head in the affirmative. It's then that she realizes the glass is no longer separating them, and the woman's hands reach out and grab on to her own.

"Let's do something fun." The woman hisses at her before she feels herself falling and everything turns black.

XXX

…Gotham City…

12:08 AM

There's a pop of electricity as the lights flicker back on. They couldn't have been off more than a few seconds, but in those seconds everything had changed. Where the Enchantress had stood alone moments ago, there now stood a slip of a woman to her left.

No, Amanda Waller couldn't call the other figure a woman; she looked barely over out of her teens. Her long brown hair hung in waves from her head, and her body looked lithe, like a dancer.

"What the fuck is this?" Flag asks as he pulls his sidearm and aims it between the witch and the girl; ever the vigilant solider.

"A weapon." The Enchantress hisses as she slinks behind the girl to the left. The girl looks around the room, somewhat dazed, yet still seeming to be observant.

"Where in the hell did you take her from?" Flag ask the witch.

A feral grin creeps across the Enchantress' mouth as she shakes her head. "Not where… when."

"You got to be shittin' me." Flag says reflexively as he gapes.

"Interesting." Amanda Waller says as she takes a few steps towards the girl. She expects her to look afraid, or at least startled. But that's not what she sees in the girl's eyes as she gets closer. She sees hidden depths of knowledge from another time.

"Earth… Earth-that-was." The girl says as she continues to glance about the room.

"That's correct, Miss?" Waller asks as she stretches out her hand to shake the girl's.

The girl looks at the hand, and then back up to Waller's face. She tilts her head to the side a little, almost as if she is listening to something very far away.

"Amanda Blake Waller. United States Military Intelligence." The girl says as she places her hand very gently in Waller's hand. "I'm River Tam."

XXX

Alright everyone. I am very much testing the waters with this. No promises on how fast I will update (blame real life), but I couldn't wait to share this with you all. Can't wait to hear what you all think.


	2. Deal with the Devil

AN: Okay, so we are getting somewhere with this. If you are familiar with my other River crossover fics, its going to be a slightly different POV style in this. River still had some trauma/ speech/ thought irregularities (again similar to my other stories), but she is going to be a little more focused/ capable than she might have been in Firefly.

Also, I love Batman, but am not a fan of Ben Affleck's version (Christian Bale is far superior). Anyways, fair warning he isn't going to come off as likable in this story (blame Ben Affleck). But enough of me talking… lets get on with this show.

Chapter 1: Deal with the Devil

River's POV

XXX

The woman's hand was smooth and cold, a contrast to the slightly calloused warmth of my own. The cold seemed to seep into my body; sending tiny tendrils of memory and subconscious thoughts along my skin and into my head.

Greed, but not monetary greed. Greed for knowledge… for power. _"Making a better world…whatever the cost."_

This woman was a very familiar type of beast.

"Do you know why you have been brought here?" The woman asks as her grip loosens and the icy thoughts fade from my mind.

 _"_ _A weapon…"_ The voice from before, the Enchantress, whispers in my head. I glance to her right briefly to steal a look in her direction and receives a small nod in return.

"A weapon… it's what I have been called before." I reply slowly.

The woman, Amanda Waller, raises an eyebrow at her response. "By whom?"

I sigh. There is no use in deception. Not when the alternative to cooperation with Amanda Waller would be much more…counterproductive. "The others… like yourself. Sought a weapon, something they could shape and mold. They succeeded, made me into what they desired."

"Which is what, exactly?" The man next to Waller, Colonel Richard Flag, Jr., Military Special Forces, asks as his hand tenses around his still drawn pistol.

"A psychic assassin, Colonel Flag."

"Bullshit. No such…"

But Waller holds her hand up to silence him before he can say anything else. A small smirk plays on her face, threatening to become a toothy grin. "Tell me, Miss Tam. Why be so forthcoming with this information?"

"Because getting people to act against their own self-interests for the national security of the United States is what you do for a living. Deception or evasion would not create a favorable environment… or build trust."

While Colonel Flag seems to be stunned into silence, Amanda Waller's mouth does form a the toothy feral smile. She reminds me of a jackal about to bite into its prey. "Most interesting, Miss Tam."

I do not like this woman. Do not trust her or her pearly white smile. I can hear all the thoughts, plots, and inner machinations rolling around in her brain fighting for dominance. But I am a stranger in a strange land, and I need employers… not more wardens.

"Well, considering your effort to be forthcoming, I will return the courtesy. I have a proposition for you Miss Tam. One I think it would behoove you to accept."

The Enchantress's laughter bounces around in my brain and I shake my head ever so slightly in an effort to dislodge it. It does not work.

I sigh. I just want to get this over with. I spent enough time running from one set of would be puppet masters just to be stolen away and delivered to another version. At least this time, maybe I can set the rules of engagement.

"I accept, under the condition that I be allowed a modicum of freedom and discretion to make appropriate choices."

This piques her interest. "Such as?"

"Silent. I would prefer to be a silent member. Not something paraded around like… other people." She says as she throws a pointed glance in the Enchantress's direction. It earns her a visible sneer from the witch. "The rest will need to be determined as more data is collected."

"Considering your…origins and supposed skillset, I think this can be accommodated. It will require more information than what you have already provided." Amanda Waller says as she extends her hand once more to seal their agreement.

 _"_ _Tests…demonstrations of ability…"_ Waller's voice echoes in her mind.

"I expected as much." I say as I take the icy hand in my own again. I can't help but feel I made a deal with a devil… I just doesn't know if it's the right one to be dealing with yet.

XXX

…Gotham City, 5 1/2 months later…

It had been easy enough to pass Waller's "tests," the battery of mental examinations and physical endurances that she had been put through. Psych evaluations, weapons proficiency, mental endurance… she threw everything she could at me.

" _Mentally scarred, but has a stable grasp of reality and her environment,"_ is what the final report had read.

Waller was pleased to hear the news. But she hadn't stopped there, because after the tests came training. Weeks with special forces operatives, Political Scientists, Linguists. I learned advanced weapons training, vehicle training, languages, foreign policy, current affairs, both domestic and international. Waller wanted nothing but perfection, and it was easy enough to fall into the part that she wants me to play.

But the one thing that Waller didn't have on me was the one thing she kept trying to dig for: leverage. She wants something to control me with. Something she can keep just out of arms reach and keep me on my best behavior, while remaining in her pocket. The only problem for her was that I didn't have anything. I had been ripped away from everyone I knew and cared about. While she could choose to restrict the liberties I had been allowed, she was also smart enough to know that I would not cave to such pressures. It bothered her like nothing else ever had, because she couldn't control me the way she could Flag or Dr. Moone.

Flag had eventually warmed to me. He'd been the one in charge of the additionally training I was to receive. He was nothing but pleased when my training assessments had started to come in from my instructors. He was cautious and wary, but he was friendly enough.

Dr. June Moone had warmed to me more quickly than Flag. In a sea of testosterone, I was a welcome sight. She was pleasant enough to be around for small amounts of time. But it was hard for me to be around her. I have nothing against her... she is smart, talented, and sunny. It just reminded her too much of Kaylee, and at times it was a bitter pill to swallow.

The Enchantress also complicated things. I did not like being around the witch at all. Felt her pulling and prying into her mind. Made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge. It didn't help that she could only ever hear bits and pieces of her mind. And when she did, it was so foreign, like she was thinking in a million different tongues.

After a reliable and bullet proof backstory was crafted by Waller, I essentially became her "aide." Of course what this really meant was that I was effectively Waller's left hand. The shadowy counterpart to Flag's role as right hand. I went where they couldn't and I supplied the information they couldn't.

And tonight… tonight that meant passing along an "anonymous tip."

As I approach the door of the restaurant before me, the two security men at the door give a small nod and quickly open it. I returns their nod with one of my own before ducking inside.

The hostess quickly comes over and silently offers to take my coat. She has seen me enough with Waller on other occasions to know she won't get much more than a nod or a thank you from me.

"He's already been seated." She says as she receives the coat and moves to store it.

"Thank you." I say as I walk further inside and towards the man seat facing away from the entrance.

My heels clicking on the polished tile floor announce my presence before I reach the table.

"I have to say Amanda, I'm not sure…" But he doesn't finish as the surprise and then amusement registers on his face as I slide into the seat opposite him.

"You aren't Amanda Waller." He says with a small chuckle.

"No, I'm her aide Mr. Wayne."

"Of course, Miss?" He's trying to be charming as he extends his hand to shake mine. He's falling back into the practiced persona of his public image. Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy by day, and secret masked vigilante by night. While I commend his desire to do good for "his" city, the public persona just feels oily and it makes my skin crawl ever so slightly.

I don't take his hand, but rather place a file in his outstretched one. "Miss Tam, Mr. Wayne."

"Call me Bruce." He says with a smirk. The various thoughts of me bouncing around in his head do nothing to warm to him. The thoughts of undressing me especially make me want to punch him.

"Not Batman?" I say with a smirk as I cross my hands in front of me.

I am moderately happy when he at least seems to blanche ever so slightly. "That's not…" He tries to start before I hold up my hand to stop him.

"Spare me. I wouldn't be here if I didn't know about your night job."

He's on edge now. He doesn't like it when people know his secret, and I probably played that card a little early. But at least the thoughts of me naked stop. "And why are you here, exactly?"

I nod towards the file I handed him. "Floyd Lawton, AKA Deadshot. He is the most wanted hitman in the world…Rumor has it you've been looking for him."

He takes the file he set down and proceeds to open it and scan the contents. "So, Deadshot has a daughter. How'd you find that out?" He asks as he glances back up at me.

I can't but feel dirty myself when he asks this. That was one of the ways Waller had "employed" my talents. I was the one who had to research Waller's targets, assess their potential for Task Force X… and the one who had to find their weak spots.

Memories shadowing Lawton… overhearing him talk to his daughter and trying to be a parent still ring in my ears.

It was what bothered me the most about my arrangement with her. In her eyes, these weren't people. Waller saw people as replaceable cogs in a larger machine. Even Flag, June, and myself were expendable for her larger vision.

Granted Waller's list consisted of some of the "worst of the worst" as she called them. I still can't help but feel they deserved better. They were just doing what they felt like they had to do to survive in a world they didn't agree with. Like Serenity used to.

I push the rising emotions down and steel my gaze. "We have our ways."

"Uh-huh." He says as he looks back at the file. "So, why give this to me? Why not, pick him up yourself?"

"Mr. Wayne, you of all people should know that's not Amanda Waller's style." I say as I rise out of my seat and motion for my coat.

"You mean she can't use him for that rumored task force she wants to put together if he thinks she's the one behind his capture."

He may annoy me, but he does have Waller pegged. I smile at him as I start to walk out. "Goodnight Mr. Wayne."

As I am walking past him I _hear_ his intentions. His hand doesn't manage to reach me though before I grab his and surprise him.

He chuckles at my reaction and I glower down at him. "So what does she have on you, Miss Tam? You're clearly more than a typical aide."

I hold his gaze before releasing his wrist. He shakes it out and I am sure he will have a few fingernail size bruises from the force I use. "Mr. Wayne, while I have some respect for the good that you try and do for Gotham, please keep in mind that if you try and touch me the next time we meet, I will leave more than a few bruises." I say again before taking my coat from the waiting host and walking towards the door.

As I walk out, I hear a few lingering thoughts in Mr. Wayne's head about claws and other things, but he has at least moved on from lurid thoughts to a begrudging respect. I allow myself a small smile. At least I won't have to kick his ass the next time Waller sends me to deal with him.

XXX

…1 week later…

"So now we have the man who never misses." Waller's voice comes through the phone after I pick up.

"I take it your friend found my tip useful?" I reply as I put the phone on speaker and place it on the desk next to my computer.

I'm still in Gotham doing "research" before flying back to Belle Reeve. Most of the time I keep close to Belle Reeve… close enough for Waller to keep an eye on, but outside the jurisdiction of the guards and military personnel. I'm allowed to come and go as I please, so long as I stay in contact. _"So long as you cooperate, the privilege will remain."_ Waller had explained. More like the guards and I, well I should say Griggs and I, didn't play well together and Waller had been forced to allow it as a peace offering. Griggs could do as he wanted with the prisoners, but Waller's special "aide" was off limits, and he'd found that out the hard way from Flag.

He was worse than any of the people Waller had on her list, he just knew how to hide it better. Except he couldn't hide from me. Now every time I am forced to be in his vicinity, it makes me want to gouge his eyes out with rusted nails.

"Delivered to Gotham PD this morning. Along with Dr. Quinzel."

"Lucky you." I reply sardonically as I begin pulling up my records to update Deadshot and Harley's statuses. Both were on Waller's list of potential candidates, and the briefing file would need to be compiled.

My response doesn't phase Waller though. "Have you managed to find anything on the others?" She asks without missing a beat.

I grit my teeth. "I'll have an update ready tomorrow, and tips will be sent to the appropriate contacts in the next few hours."

"So they will all be handled before the meeting with the Security Council next week?"

I inwardly groan. Her tone was like a parent asking if your homework was done. "Yes, I would imagine Harkness and Weiss will likely be delivered by then."

"When are you due back?" She asks coarsely.

"A week. I'll be there when you, Flag, and Dr. Moone get to Belle Reeve."

"Good." She says before she disconnects.

I glare at my phone as if it was Waller before turning back to my computer. Time to send those "anonymous tips" to Barry Allen and the FBI.

XXX

AN: So was that enough backstory to how River is fitting in to all this, or do you guys want more? I may throw in a few observations she has made about each of the squad members as we progress too. Anyways, I hope you guys like this! Feedback is always appreciated.


	3. Illusion Shaker

AN: Thank you for all the lovely little reviews/ follows. Every time I get one it just makes me smile. This chapter practically wrote itself as soon as I posted the other one, and since you guys seemed to want more backstory/ pre-movie action, I had to oblige.

Chapter 2: Illusion Shaker

River's POV

XXX

 _I'm standing in the middle of a crowded Gotham street. I look down and see my arms and legs are shackled, but no one bothers to look at me… it's almost as if they can't see me at all. More and more people begin to swarm around me… they start bumping into me, knocking me to and fro._

 _"Little girl." Enchantress's unmistakable voice rings in my ears._

 _I can feel the metal shackles start to dig into my skin. Feel the sticky wet blood running out of the gashes. I crouch down trying to make myself smaller… to shy away from the world around me… but it's no use. Its just a sea of people closing in on me._

 _Enchantress taunts me. "Lost little girl."_

XXX

My eyes open and I sit up in bed. I take in my surroundings and exhale. I'm still in my Gotham city hotel room. It was nothing but a dream. And since the clock on the cable box reads 2:30am I know I wasn't asleep for very long.

My face contorts into a scowl. I'm not quite sure if its actually her or just the manifestation of feelings I'm repressing. It would be easy enough to label her, my 'kidnaper,' so to speak, as the embodiment of my fears in my nightmares.

It has been happening since she brought me here. Every few nights… some different twisted illusion. Each one playing off some form of repressed fear or emotion. She'd changed so much by bringing me here. Some of it good, some of it… just different.

I'd felt focused, as if a haze of secrets they had burned into my brain had been washed away by taking me out of that time. Gone were the nightmares of hands of blue, the Academy, Dr. Mathias, and Reavers. They couldn't touch me here.

But those old ghosts had been replaced by _her_ illusions. Her whispers and echoes were trying to crawl into my brain, and I'm not sure if it was really better or worse.

Either way, I won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon, so I swing my legs over the side of the bed and gently stretch my limbs before skulking over to my suitcase. I dig through and find my black dress and pull it on before slipping my feet into my boots and lacing them up.

"If I can't sleep, I might as well get out of here." I say as I grab my leather jacket, hotel room key, and my wallet before heading out the door.

Most nights I would let myself wander around the city, get lost in the sea of thoughts swimming around me, like I used to on Serenity. But tonight I feel a certain pull in the direction of a very infamous club. Joker's club.

It's playing with fire… walking into that club so soon after Harley's capture. But in all truthfulness it's one of the only places in Gotham I felt… at ease. Everywhere else in Gotham people wear masks. You only see what they want you to see. But at the Joker's club? No one was hiding. Not even the Joker.

It seems ridiculous… that Batman never really came after the Joker at his club. But maybe that was just it. Maybe, because Bruce Wayne always had a general idea of where the Joker was, he never felt the need. Sure, he would chase after him, in some exaggerated way all over the city, but he never seemed too bothered when the Joker would inevitably escape.

Or maybe, they were always destined to do this dance. Because without the Joker, it would mean the end of Batman. And maybe that's what Bruce Wayne feared most.

I'd been to the club a few times before to "listen" to both Harley and Joker, so getting in wasn't going to be an issue. Again, no one was hiding when they went to Joker's club, and I had seen plenty of "upstanding politicians" tucked away in corner booths with escorts and girls draped around them while I was there. That was the thing, the hypocrisy of it all. Everyone loved to circle around the gangsters, they liked the danger of it, the thrill… they just didn't want to admit that what the Joker had is what they secretly wanted too.

Maybe that made Joker the more honest one. At least he could admit what he wanted to the world.

XXX

Twenty minutes later and I am standing in a short line of women to get inside. Joker's club was the same as all the other in town, always a short line for the pretty girls. I smile at the bouncer as I walk in and head straight for the bar once I'm inside.

It's dark and moody in the club tonight, and I wonder if it's because Harley isn't here. When I had been here in the past it had been loud, almost mind-numbingly loud. But tonight? Tonight the energy was oppressive… like all the demons were coming out to play.

I navigate my way to the bar and flag down the bartender. "Illusion Shaker please."

The bartender looks at me confused. "What's in that?" He asks dumbfounded.

I open my mouth to answer, but before I can the guy next to me does.

"45mL Midori, 15mL Vodka, 15mL Triple Sec, 45mL Pineapple Juice, and 15mL Lemon Juice shaken with ice and then poured in a tall glass over fresh ice. Garnish it witha cherry for the doll too." The guy says in a strong Australian accent.

 _Shit,_ I think as my mind registers that voice. I'd been damn near stalking him enough the last week to know it from a mile away. I take a breath and turn towards none other than George 'Digger' Harkness, aka Captain Boomerang.

"Thanks." I reply before turning my attention back towards the bartender's direction.

"Oh, no need to thank this ol' bogan luv. Jus' happy to help a doll out."

I try my best to stifle a laugh, because the thoughts rumbling around in Harkness' head are the exact opposite of the words coming out of his mouth. No, Harkness is more concerned with what color my panties might be and if I am wearing any under my dress. Albeit the thoughts in his head are much more jumbled due to his severe intoxication.

"Me name's Digger, luv. What might yours be?"

I don't respond and continue to wait for my drink from the bartender.

This doesn't dissuade Harkness from continuing to talk to me though. "Ah, I getcha. One of them hard to get types, right?"

I glance over at him and decide to have a bit of fun. I lean slightly in his direction. "Maybe I'm just trouble." I say quietly.

"Oh I could do with a spot of trouble luv, and you do seem a might tasty."

This time I do laugh at what he says as the bartender hands me my drink.

"How much?" I ask as I fish into my pocket for my wallet.

Just as my hand touches my wallet I feel a hand grab my arm and I instinctively grab onto it with enough force to stop the person. I glare at Harkness as he continues to keep me from going for my wallet. However he's too drunk to notice the death glare I am giving him, and if it wasn't for the thick coat he's wearing I am pretty sure he would have a palm sized bruise from my grip.

"Put her's on my tab!" Harkness says quickly as I release his arm. I don't make another move for my wallet.

"Thanks." I grumble before I take a sip of my drink.

"Not every day a doll like yourself orders an Illusion Shaker. Takes me back to my youth in 'Staila. You spend much time in 'Stralia luv?" He asks curiously.

"No… it's on my list." I reply. I don't know why I'm continuing to talk with him, and it almost seems wrong considering that tip I sent out earlier. This time tomorrow Harkness sure as hell won't be so please to be talking to the pretty doll who 'sent him up the river.'

I chuckle at the idiocy of the situation and my very bad pun.

"Somethin' funny doll?" He ask with a small chuckle of his own.

I take another large sip of my drink before I answer him. "Not really." I say with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, now why would you go and keep somethin' to yourself luv? You can tell ol' Digger them naughty thoughts."

"Who says they're naughty?" I say with a laugh and take another swig of my drink.

"You're think about ol' Digger here. If they ain't naughty I'm losing me touch."

I smile. He's drunk… completely harmless to me right now. But I know better. I know he doesn't play well with others. Know all about his past and the job he's got setup for tomorrow. But I still smile… because there is just a small bit of him that reminds me of Mal and Jayne, and that's enough for me in this moment.

But my smile quickly turns to a frown as I see the sulking figure of one Clown Prince of Gotham heading directly from the front door towards his usual table. He's practically screaming thoughts of murder, mayhem, and a intense desire to recover a missing harlequin. If left unattended this will not end well. He's liable to raze the entire city turning over rocks looking for her.

"Thanks for the drink Digger." I say as I move away from the bar and towards the back area.

Once again I feel a hand grab onto mine to stop me, but instead of my normal reflex to beat whoever touches me to a living pulp, I just look up at Digger's face.

"Runnin' away already?" He says with a smile wide enough to show his gold tooth.

I shake my head. "Duty calls."

"So when can ol' Digger see you again trouble?"

I laugh at his persistence and decide to play a little joke. "I'll see you in a week."

"It's a date." He says as he lets go of my arm and I begin to move away.

XXX

I leave my drink on a nearby table as I move across the room. I'm in luck, and Johnny Frost, the Joker's right hand man, is near the short set of steps leading to the Joker's table.

I make to walk past him and get immediately stopped.

"Woah, woah, woah, where do you think you're goin' lady?"

"Up there. I have information for your boss."

"Na-uh. Boss ain't in an entertainin' mood." Frost replies holding his ground, and simultaneously giving me the once over. Like Digger, he's more curious about me naked than what I have to say. Men are such boobs.

I roll my eyes and fix him with my best death glare while standing their impatiently. "It's about Harley Quinn."

He thoughts immediately sober and I get a death glare of my own. "Anything you have to say to him about Harley, you can say to me."

I shake my head. "That's not how this works. So if you want to tell your boss that you turned away someone with info on Harley, be my guest."

Frost's eyes narrow at me. "Wait here." He says as he turns, goes up the steps, and walks over to his boss. I watch as he leans down and whispers in the Joker's ear.

 _"She says she has information on Harley."_ Frost's voice bounces around in my head.

The Joker doesn't say anything, but waves a hand for Frost to fetch me.

Frost walks back over to the top of the steps and then motions for me to step forward and hold my arms out. I oblige as he goes for the obligatory pat down. At least he doesn't try and get fresh and cop a feel.

When he satisfied that I don't have a weapon or hidden wire taped somewhere he motions me towards the Joker.

"He ain't shake hands. But sit down and have a drink." Frost says as he moves to stand next to the Joker.

I sit, but don't grab a drink from the table. I don't say anything initially either. It's the first time I have been this close to him…close enough to truly appreciate the intricacies of his mind. It's organized chaos… the living embodiment of a Jackson Pollock painting. Each proverbial stroke of the Joker's hand was intentional. He was a master painter, and his chosen medium was organized disorder. If you focus on each stroke you get lost… but when you consider the whole picture, it's a different story.

The Joker doesn't say anything, but as my silence drags out he does glance in my direction.

"Harley isn't in Gotham." I say as I meet his gaze. "They've already moved her to a black site."

A growl emirates from him as he eyes me more closely now. "Are you sweet talkin' me?" He asks as he leans towards me.

I resist the urge to laugh. He may intimidate other people, but the organized chaos of his mind tells me he won't kill me. Not yet at least, not until I outlive my usefulness… It's why he didn't kill Dr. Quinzel, and made her into Harley Quinn. She was a useful ally… someone who could appreciate the whole picture.

"No reason to sweet talk you." I say as I sit back in my seat and give him a small smile… showing him just how at ease I am in his presence.

His cackling laugh spills out of his gold plated mouth. "I love this girl." He says as he stands and moves closer to my side of the booth. "No fear."

I smile at him. "Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will."

"Ahh.. but curiosity killed the cat. And your just like a cat, aren't ya? Sitting there, acting so sweet…Playing both sides to get what you want."

I giggle. What is it with these guys comparing me to cats lately? First Batman, now the Joker? It's comical.

"Not a cat, just someone offering a name."

This piques his interest and I can see the cogs clicking and turning in his mind. So many different variables to consider.

"And what would this name be?" He says with a clicking of his tongue.

"Griggs. Captain of the guards at the black site." I say as I scoot out of the booth and stand up to leave. Frost steps forward and blocks my path by placing his hand in front of me.

"You don't leave until he says you can." Frost glowers at me.

But he doesn't realize what's happened until I have grabbed his wrist and twisted it around his back and force him to kneel in front of me, and between me and the Joker.

The Joker's maniacal laughter bounces off the walls at my little display… his mind sings of appreciation for the little show. It wasn't every day that a girl half Frost's size could surprise him, and she certainly had.

I look up at the Joker as he claps his hands enthusiastically. "Oh I really love this girl." He says between his laughter.

I release Frost's arm and he quickly gets up and straightens his jacket and moves a little bit further away from me, and I give the Joker a small curtsey as he continues to clap. "I do hope we meet again, Miss?" The Joker asks as he gives his approval for me to leave.

"Call me whatever you like." I say as I walk away from the table.

His voice bellows behind me. "See you around kitty cat."

XXX

AN: Alright, so I couldn't resist a little flirtation with Digger in this. He's the whole reason we have to blame for this fanfic (Jai Courtney is just too cute). Anyways, can't wait to hear what you guys think! And how you do you think the meeting with the Joker went? Good? Bad?

Also, I love Catwoman, but since we are dealing with Affleck's Batman, I will not be bringing in Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer is the only movie Catwoman I love, Anne Hathaway was a bad casting, and Halle Berry's does not exist in my brain). But this gives me a little more room to have River take up that mantle/ persona so to speak. Hope you guys liked this update.


	4. Belle Reve

Chapter 3: Belle Reve

XXX

…Three days later…

The Joker is sitting on the ground in his penthouse. An array of weapons spread out all around him… but he's more interested in the one in his hand. It was one of Harley's guns.

 _"_ _What do we have here?" He says as he stalks towards Harley pinned to the table with the electro-shock probes in his hands._

 _What are you gonna do? You gonna kill me Mr. J?" She says with a small lit in her tone._

 _"_ _What? Oh, I'm not gonna kill ya I'm just gonna hurt ya ...really, really bad." He says as be leans over and get closer to her face. Close enough he could feel her breath on his face._

 _"_ _You think so? Well, I can take it."_

The door to the penthouse opening snaps the Joker out of his memory and he instinctively raises the gun towards the person walking in. It's just Johnny Frost back from running his errands.

"Where is she?" He grumbles.

Johnny sits on the steps leading down into the penthouse.

"It's complex. This is not just her. Everybody's disappeared. Even Harkness got picked up pullin' that job. And now? After that flying Superman shit? Now, there's this new law, where if you're a bad enough, bad guy they stamp "Terrorist" on your jacket. It's the black site that broad told us about."

The Joker growls in frustration. This was not what he wanted to hear.

"We did get a pop on the name Griggs." Frost continues. "In Louisiana. Guy's got a gamblin' problem. That's where the black site is, in the middle of a swamp there. That's where they're shippin' them all to."

"Ahh. so our little kitty cat was telling the truth. And tell me…" He says practically purring. "Did we find anything useful out about our little feline friend?"

"Nothin'," Frost says with a shrug of his shoulders.

The Joker found this intriguing. "Nothing?"

"She's a ghost. And we ain't talkin' CIA level spook shit either. Whoever she is, she's gotta be high level. I pulled the security video from outside the club, and it's as if she knew where the cameras were, because she made sure to stay clear of showing her face on them."

" _Of course she did. All good little kitty cats knew how to come and go as they please."_ The Joker thinks as a grin spreads across his face.

"So what are we doin'?" Frost asks speculatively.

The Joker smiles at Frost. "Bring the car around. We're going for a drive."

As Frost leaves, the Joker lies back against the floor of the penthouse and takes in his Harley's predicament. It really was comical in a way. He'd have to play the Prince and come to her rescue. Or may he shouldn't? He didn't need her after all.

 _"_ _Every test… every trial…I have proved I love you." Harley's voice from that night echoes in his ears._

 _"_ _I am not someone who is… loved. I am an idea. State of mind. I execute my will, according to my plan, and you. Doctor… are not part of my plan."_

She wasn't part of the plan. Had never been part of the plan. And yet…

 _"_ _Careful. Do not say this oath thoughtlessly. Desire becomes surrender. Surrender becomes power. Do you want this?"_

 _"_ _I do."_

Maybe that was the biggest joke of all. The man with the plan… the agent of chaos didn't need Harley Quinn. But he sure as well wanted her.

The Joker laughs at the absurdity of it all.

XXX

River's POV

…Three days later…

Harkness and Weiss were delivered two days ago. The Security Council had formally signed off on Task Force X, and I'm on my way back to Louisiana. I groan and bash my head back against the headrest as I shift in my carseat before turning up the volume on the radio to try and drown out my thoughts about "on-boarding," as Waller called it.

 _"_ _Please allow me to introduce myself,  
I'm a man of wealth and taste."_

I'd been driving for the past three days, and had been more than happy to leave the smog covered skies of Gotham behind me when I did. I'd be at Belle Reve the same time their plane touched down, and at least this way I had the privacy and emptiness of the road to quiet my mind. It wasn't the same as flying in Serenity…nothing every really was. But I couldn't complain too much when I was driving my very shiny 1967 Shelby Mustang.

 _"_ _I've been around for a long, long year,  
Stole many a man's soul to waste."_

Well, she would be shiny… she needed a lot of work to be anywhere closer to her former glory… but I didn't mind, I needed a project. Kaylee and Wash would have liked her too. I push that thought out of my mind quickly.

 _"_ _I watched with glee,  
While your kings and queens,  
Fought for ten decades,  
For the gods they made."_

It had been an impulse purchase… I had skimmed the paper in the lobby of the hotel in Gotham to kill time. I'm not even sure why I bothered looking at the classifieds, but once I had, she had immediately jumped out at me.

 _"_ _But what's puzzling you,  
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby."_

Two hours later and I was pulling away from the used car lot in my shiny Mustang. It had patches of rust in the chipped paint, it would need a new shifter, and the AC didn't work, but at least the radio worked.

 _"_ _Pleased to meet you,  
Hope you guess my name."_

I could have hopped a ride with Waller, Flag, and Dr. Moone on Waller's private plane to get to Belle Reve. But the idea of small confined spaces with Waller or Dr. Moone for a few hours was less than appealing to me.

 _"_ _Just as every cop is a criminal,  
And all the sinners saints."_

On-boarding Harkness and Weiss would also not be a fun affair. The only other upside to this whole affair is that I would be the last one to deal with them. They'd have to go through intake, psych, Griggs… I feel sorry about that one…, Waller, and then me. So realistically, I would be dealing with them in a week or so. At least I hope it would be a week or so.

 _"_ _Use all your well-learned politesse,  
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah."_

Chato Santana and Waylon Jones, AKA El Diablo and Killer Croc, had been here the longest, so they would already be ready for me. Deadshot and Harley would also likely already have had to deal with Griggs over the last week. But I would put off my part of the "on-boarding" until they were all ready... because I really hate the shit Waller makes me do sometimes, and if I can put it off as long as possible, I am going to.

" _Tell me baby, what's my name,  
_ _Tell me honey, can ya guess my name."_

I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few of them remembered seeing me. Lurking in the shadows… just around corners. Or in Harkness's case the pretty girl he hit on at the bar. I think that one stings a little more than the others. He's the only one I had actually talked to. Here's hoping he doesn't remember much about that night.

 _"Tell me baby, what's my name,  
I tell you one time, you're to blame."_

XXX

…An hour later…

I pull on to the tarmac about an hour later, and Waller's plane is due to land in about ten minutes. The tarmac is just outside the prison gates, and the guards are already outside… which means I have to try my hardest not to kill Griggs in the next ten minutes.

I pull into an empty parking spot and roll up my window before leaning over to collect my backpack. It's still early, and I know Waller will want a debrief with me and Flag relatively soon. I'm just stuffing some papers inside when there is a knock at my window. I glance over and see "Alpha-1 Asshole" standing outside my door.

"Uhh." I groan as I open the door to get out. "Move Griggs."

"Hey honey, you miss me?" Griggs says as he refuses to move.

I roll my eyes, close the door behind me, and start to walk away from him. I know he's just trying to rile me up before Flag and Waller get here, and I really don't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Oh come on now baby, you don't got to be like that! We could have some real fun together." He yells at me as the plane touches down.

I don't turn around, but unceremoniously flip him off as I walk away. I can hear his hyena laugh behind me and hear his thoughts about how my ass looks in my jeans.

"Gross." I mutter under my breath.

I hear him walking up behind me as I wait for the plane to taxi to the front of the prison gates. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, even though its not going to do jack shit about the verbal diarrhea I am going to have to endure for the next few minutes.

"Nice car by the way, real classic. You know, any time you get the urge to go for a drive, I got some American muscle for you."

"You know Griggs? I have to say I'm amazed right now."

"Yeah figured you'd come around eventually." He says while he peacocks next to me.

"I am genuinely amazed by the shit that just pours out of his mouth…" I say as I flat out break into a laugh as the look on his face sours. "I mean, do you stay up at night to practice? Or is it an innate talent that you just know the best garbage to spew at women?"

"Listen here Princess.." He says as he moves o grab my arm.

But I can read him a mile away and lock his hand into a vice grip with my fingers starting to bend his backwards. "No, you listen Griggs…" I say in a low warning. "Flag has already told you to back the fuck off. So do yourself a favor and back the fuck off before I make you." I say as I let go of his hand and turn back towards the plane stopping in front of us.

He shakes out his hand and starts to chuckle in an effort to disguise the pain I inflicted. "Oh man, did you just threaten a staff member?"

Now he's testing my patience. "I'm not one of your inmates Griggs." I snap at him.

He laughs a little harder now. "Just keep tellin' yourself that Princess. See, there's a reason Waller keeps you so close to these parts. You may come and go as you please now, but one day… that could all change."

"And one of these days Griggs you are going to find yourself mouthing off to the wrong person." I say as I take my leave and walk towards Waller, Flag, and Dr. Moone.

"Problem, Tam?" Flag asks as he notices my posture and the tension in my shoulders.

"No, sir." I say as I fall in line on Waller's left, with Dr. Moone flanking me.

 _"_ _You know he's right though…you're no different than them."_ Enchantress's voice whispers in my head before cackling.

I sigh. This is going to be a very long day.

XXX

… A few hours later…

I was right. It had been a fucking long and tiring day. First Waller got the grand "tour" from Griggs, which I had politely refused to go on. Flag didn't question why, but I got the signature Waller "look." She wouldn't ask, but she would be more aware of my interactions with Griggs in her quest for leverage.

After the tour of the facilities, she and Flag went to talk to Santana and Jones. Despite their status as meta-human, they would be the easiest to deal with since they had been here longer than the others. Santana would likely refuse Waller's "request," which I respected. I can't blame him for not wanting to be used as a weapon. Jones on the other hand would be a little more agreeable. Any excuse to rip some throats out.

Waller would wait to see the others till tomorrow… she wants a debrief with Flag and myself to better prep. Which is why I now find myself sitting in Waller's temp office in the middle of a posturing contest between her and Flag.

"You notice these are criminals?" Flag yells as he slams my briefing packet on the desk in front of Waller. "They're psychotic antisocial freaks. It makes no sense… Let me hit the Tier One units and I'll build you a team of pipe hitters who'll do anything you can dream up. I mean, you need real soldiers. Not these scumbags."

Waller is unfazed though. Flag really is no match for her. "In World War 2, the US Navy made a deal with he mafia to protect its ships on the waterfront." She says as she barely bats an eye.

"This ain't World War 2." Flag says exasperated.

But Waller is as smug as ever. "It's World War 3." Nothing is going to dissuade her.

Flag knows he isn't going to get anywhere with this approach, and the wheels are turning in his mind on how best to change tactics.

"What are you really up to? You already got this one, why do you need more freaks too?" He says before quickly realizing his mistake. "No offense Tam."

I know he didn't mean to imply that I was a freak, even if I think of myself as one. It's not worth the effort to dwell on, so I quickly wave it off. "None taken."

Waller eye's me curiously, looking to see if I will give anything away…always looking for leverage… before turning her attention back to Flag."It's a "need- to- know", and, all you need to know is you work for me."

"That can change with a phone call. I have friends, too. You know."

I wince when the words come out of his mouth. Big mistake Flag. You never want try and bulldog Waller.

Case in point she gets up from her seat, takes out her cellphone, and throws it on the desk near Flag. "There you go. Call." She says taunting him. "But without you minding her, your lady friend stays here strapped to a board in a drug- induced coma."

Checkmate, Waller. I can't help but feel sorry for poor Flag. I know he really cares for June.

Flag's jaw is twitching as he grits his teeth to keep from screaming. I rub my temples trying to ease the tension I can feel radiating off him and seeping into me. "They warned me about you. I didn't believe the stories."

"Nobody does." Waller says as she retakes her seat. "Setup the range for tomorrow and please check with intake on Harkness and Weiss." She says with a flourish of her hand to dismiss Flag.

"Ma'am." He says with the last of his restraint before he turns, walks through the door, and promptly slams it.

Great, my turn to be in the hot-seat.

"Anything I need to be aware of before tomorrow, Tam?" Waller ask as she shits back in her chair and stares at me.

I bend down and fish into my backpack for my addendum. "We should likely expect a few visitors soon." I say as I hand her my recent updates.

She takes the file and quickly skims through it. I learned very quickly to make my briefings to Waller succinct. She arches an eyebrow and looks back at me. "And you found this an absolute necessity?"

She's questioning my judgment, and its annoying. "I deemed it to be the best course of action to avoid a situation, yes."

"So that would explain why the IT team flagged some data inquiries we got during your trip to Gotham."

"I would imagine so."

"And you will take necessary precautions so this won't effect future operations?"

I grind my teeth. Again with the mothering. "Already in progress."

"Good." She says as she sets my update down.

I'm expecting her to dismiss me, but from the tendril of thoughts I pick up… I won't be so lucky.

"So how have the other assignments been coming along?"

I go back to fishing into my backpack and produce another 2 complete briefings. "Victor Stone and Barry Allen's files." I say as I hand them to Waller.

"No luck on Arthur Curry, yet?"

Of course she's never satisfied with what I give her. Always asking for more. "He's proving more difficult to locate." She shouldn't be too surprised to hear that one though… he was practically a damn fish.

XXX

AN: So, River is going to need a call sign soon. Anybody have ideas? I have a few, but I wanted to see if you guys had any. I like the cat references ;) so those will continue regardless. Hope you guys enjoyed this update and feedback is always appreciated.


	5. Witching Hour

AN: So happy to read all the reviews and hear you guys want to read more of this story. So, without further ado…

Chapter 4: Witching Hour

XXX

…Later that night…

There weren't many options for entertainment in the swamps of the middle of no where Louisiana. But that didn't stop Griggs from finding a few seedy clubs that catered to his particular breed of cockroach. The type where it doesn't matter who or what you are… and the ones who are more than willing to advance large lump sums. Too bad for Griggs, his losing streak was landing him squarely where he didn't want to belong… On someone's radar and about to be in someone's pocket.

"Lester! Lester! Hit me one more time! Come on, Man You gotta call upstairs and tell them to float me another 10k." He says as he busts at the blackjack table.

It's then that he feels the strong hand clap him none to gently on the shoulder. He turns around to see one of the bouncers slash cage bosses.

"Boss wants to see you." He says as he starts to yank Griggs away from the table.

"You know who I am?" Griggs tries to protest as he's practically dragged thru a side door and towards the back rooms. He's protesting the entire way, even when they sit him down on a chair in the kitchen. There are at least give guys with either guns or knives around him, and one guy is taking a butcher's knife to a slab of meat.

But Griggs never knows when to shut up. "Good job, Man. He's killin' it." He says to the casino boss that stands in front of him.

"Come on Man. Why am I here? All right! Yeah! I'm down. I get it! All right? I've had run of bad decks. Not my fault. All right?"

The casino boss just looks at him likes Griggs is the moron he is. "Dude, this is real. I had to stop these guys from burning down your house with your kids in it. But, you're lucky." He says as the backdoor to outside opens and Johnny Frost walks in.

"Maybe. Why do you think so?" Griggs asks as he watches the Frost hand over a stack of cash to the casino boss.

"Yo, Slick, what's up?" Frost says dismissively to Griggs before a handshake concludes his business with the casino boss.

Griggs sticks out his hand to the new guy in a failed attempt to shake. "Griggs. You are?"

Frost just sneers at Griggs. "You might wanna keep your mouth shut."

But Griggs is losing the little patience and tact that he has fast, and doesn't listen to Frost's warning. "Can I go, man? What the hell's going on, man? This is crazy."

But that's when he hears it. The slow measures steps on the tile behind him accompanied by a voice that would send chills down anyone's spine. "Blah, blah blah, blah… All of that chitchat's gonna get you hurt." The Joker claps Griggs on the shoulders as he moves into the room and his voice echoes around the now quiet kitchen.

Griggs is beyond scared and about ready to piss himself. "My God!" He says out of reflex as he jumps in his seat.

The Joker moves around Griggs side to stand in front of him. Eyeing him like a snake eyes a mouse it's about to devour. The Joker holds out his hand for Griggs to kiss his ring. Griggs looks up momentarily before doing so.

A serpent like hiss emirates from the Joker before a smile spreads across his face. He quickly moves to straddle Griggs, only increasing Griggs fear. "I could tell you meant that." The Joker hisses.

Griggs wisely doesn't say anything.

The Joker eyes him before continuing. "You're gonna be my friend."

XXX

…Elsewhere…

Flag and June are staying at one of the better hotels near Belle Reve. Waller would be heading out in a few days, but they would be here for the next week at least to deal with the scumbags he had to command.

It had been a long day, but he was no where close to being done for the night. June on the other hand was curled up on the bed, having fallen asleep a while ago. The clock on the TV clicks from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am as Flag stands up to stretch and take a break from reviewing briefing files.

June's voice is barely a whisper as she talks in her sleep. "Enchantress."

The lights in the room flicker out and Flag immediately draws his sidearm and turns towards the bed. He's horrified to see the Enchantress sitting there where June had been curled up a moment ago.

He reaches for his cell phone but the Enchantress quickly pops from the bed to right in front of him, a fade walk, as Waller had called it. Flag watches in horror as the Enchantress shakes her head and blows something in his face.

Flag blinks a few times as his surroundings seem to melt away and he's left standing in a morgue. The body of June Moone is laid out on an icy metal slab in front of him. A wave of sickness and dread come over him immediately and he's by her side in an instant.

"June?" He asks plaintively as tears begin to pool in his eyes.

"June? June? June. June." He continues to plead over her corpse.

XXX

River's POV

… Back near Belle Reve…

It's past midnight, but there had been no getting to sleep tonight. Too much nervous energy bounced around my body and made it impossible to even think of sleeping. I had decided there was no time like the present to get going on my 'project' and had quickly decamped from the small house Waller had set me up with to the garage to work on my car.

It's a typically hot a humid night in Louisiana, and I have the garage door open for ventilation and to hear the crickets and birds chirping out in the darkness. Even if I was damn close to Belle Reve, there was something peaceful about it out here.

I'm working on stripping the bits of chipped paint from the body to treat and sand the small patches of rust when I hear it… or rather I don't hear anything. The swamp, which moments ago had been humming with its usual noise… was utterly silent.

I step away from the car and move to stand near the garage door… peering out into the inky blackness of the night.

 _"_ _Tis the witching hour of night…"_ The Enchantress's voice whispers in my ear.

I immediately whirl around to see if she's standing behind me, but I am met with emptiness. My hands ball into fists as I snarl. She's toying with me…

Now her voices echoes from outside the garage. _"Or bed is the moon and bright."_

 _"_ _And the stars they glisten, glisten,  
Seeming with bright eyes to listen…"_

"For what listen they?" I finish the poem out loud, thinking maybe she'll emerge from the darkness if I do.

But all I hear is the stillness of the swamp.

"What are you up to?" I say quietly into the night.

XXX

They had been careless. Parading the Enchantress around as a sideshow attraction… putting her in a room with all those people to perform her parlor tricks. She had done as she was told, brought them what they wanted. But they had unknowingly given her what she needed as well… the location of her brother.

Once Flag had been dealt with for the night, she quickly fade walked into Waller's hotel room. The woman was asleep with more papers and briefings strewn around her, along with the case housing the witch's hidden heart.

The Enchantress takes a step towards the case, and the mechanical hiss of the alarm sounds. The Enchantress grimaces and fades walks out of the room…

She ends up in Waller's home office in Gotham… a secret room locked away housing all of Waller's secrets. But all the Enchantress needs is the canopic jar with her brothers remains.

"Brother." The Enchantress calls to the sleeping soul of Incubus inside the jar.

 _"_ _Sister."_ Incubus' voice replies in her head.

The Enchantress quickly fade walks out of Waller's house and Gotham. She ends up in a Midway City subway bathroom. There is only one person in the bathroom, a business man too busy talking on his phone to notice the shadowy figure staring at him from inside the mirror in front of him. When he does look up, she is quick to pull his head towards the wall with enough force to knock him out. Once he is out could and on the ground, she quickly breaks the canopic jar open and unleashes the soul of Incubus.

Incubus' soul quickly takes hold of the body on the ground. He gasps as he finally comes to, cradled in Enchantress's lap.

"Brother I have freed you." She says soothingly.

Incubus has not recovered his strength yet and looks around the room dazed. "Where are we?"

"The same world… only much later." She replies.

"What happened?" Incubus asks.

"The humans turned against us." Enchantress replies with venom in her voice.

Incubus cannot believe what he is hearing. "But they worshipped us? We were gods to them!"

Enchantress's voice continues to drip with venom. "Now they worship machines. But I will spawn a weapon… a weapon that will destroy their world and bring about a new one. Build your strength. Feed on them. And wait for me to return." She says before quickly fade walking back to Louisiana.

XXX

"Enchantress…" June's voice says quietly as her body is pulled back into the hotel room where Flag is still sobbing.

"June?" He asks unconvinced.

Now it's June's turn to sob. Flag quickly pulls her tightly into his chest and cradles her as she sobs.

"Promise me… if it means killing me to stop her… You will." She says between gasps of air and tears.

"June…" Flag tries to protest, but she won't let him tonight.

"Promise me!" She yells as she clings to Flag tighter.

XXX

…The next morning…

RIver's POV

When Flag and Dr. Moone walked into the makeshift command at Belle Reve the next morning, the tension in the air is so thick it was practically a dense fog. I knew something had happened, that Enchantress had done something. But the problem was I couldn't find out what.

Flag's mind was a jumble of images of June laying in a morgue, and then just holding her as she cried herself to sleep. Dr. Moone on the other hand was a blank slate. I had tried to probe into the Enchantress, but I was met with the same foreign tongues and cackling laughter she was so prone to.

I didn't like it. _"Something wicked this way comes."_ I thought to myself, mentally readying myself for whatever it might be.

After an hour or so Dr. Moone excuses herself to go get some food. She politely asks Flag and myself if we want anything, but we are getting ready to deal with Deadshot, so we both decline. Once she is out of the room, I turn towards Flag.

"Where did she go last night?" I ask tersely.

Flag instantly prickles at my question, but he doesn't try and avoid it. "I don't know." He says defeatedly.

I sigh. I like Flag, I do. He reminds me of the moral side of Mal. The side that tries to do the right thing by people. But his weakness to Dr. Moone is starting to cloud his judgment.

"Waller will make good on her threat if she finds out." I say quietly.

I can feel the fury emanating from him the moment I say it and I am quick to hold up my hands defensively. "I'm not going to say anything."

He seems to breathe a sigh of relief, but he's still wary. "Make sure you don't." He says before the door opens and in strolls Waller.

"Morning." Waller says as she walks towards us and hands me the encrypted case that holds Enchantress' heart. It's never more than a foot or two away from her, and if she isn't holding it then I am.

"Is everything ready for Lawton?" She ask expectantly.

"The range is prepped and ready." Flag says quickly.

"The entire array?"

"Everything he's proficient with, minus the rocket propelled variations." I respond quickly. Waller wanted a demonstration, and she was paying good money to get one.

"How long until he's out there?"

"15 minutes. I asked the Captain to escort him." I say while trying not to laugh. I know exactly what Lawton is likely to do the minute he gets his hands on one of those guns, and Griggs deserves it.

Unfortunately, Waller and Flag both have picked up on my little 'joke' and I get their infamous glares. I just chuckle though. "Griggs is a prick."

Flag just rolls his eyes. "Maybe you should stay up here then. Don't need you addin' fuel to a fire."

I pout. "Spoil sport."

XXX

Waller watches with mild amusement as Deadshot is escorted out to the makeshift shooting range. There are at least five armed guards in full riot gear, including Griggs.

"All right, unlock him." Flag says from beside Waller.

"What?" Griggs asks befuddled.

But Flag isn't going to repeat himself. "You heard me."

"You know what this man can do?" Griggs tries to protest.

Flag already hates Griggs. Hates they type of man that he is, and his reluctance to follow orders from his commanding officer just pisses him off further. "I'm here to find out. Lose the restraints."

Deadshot is amused by the situation and openly laughs as the restraints come off and he stands in front of a table full of guns. "OK. What is this? Cheerleading tryouts?"

"Let's go. Let's see what you can do. They say you never missed a shot. Prove it." Flag says as he takes a step back and crosses his arms waiting.

Deadshot smiles and plays along. Walks up to the table and selects a small 9mm. He clicks the safety off and cocks the gun… still not taking aim yet though.

"Now you got one in the chamber. What you gonna do with it?" Flag asks impatiently.

It's then that Deadshot turns towards Griggs and points it directly between his eyes.

"Hhhh ... Shit." Griggs says as everyone pulls their sidearm, Griggs men pointing their sights on Deadshot, and Flag pointing at them.

"Give me the word, boss. I'll drop him." Griggs second in commands Ames says.

"Everybody calm down. Griggs, tell your men to stand down." Flag says with cold conviction.

"Tell them : Put it down." Deadshot says to a frightened Griggs.

"Stand down…" Griggs says reluctantly before yelling at Flag. "Colonel, for the record, this is exactly what I was concerned about!"

Deadshot is not lowering his sights off Griggs though. "What's for dinner?" He asks Griggs. Deadshot's got Griggs by the metaphorical balls and he intends to make him suffer for the past few weeks of hell he has had to endure under Griggs.

"Ames, if this man shoots me, I want you to kill him. And I want you to go and clear my browser history." Griggs says as he bounces nervously.

"See ...the firing pin is filed down, right? Mag full of dummy rounds. If I pull the trigger, nothing happens." Deadshot comments. He was half sure this was some kind of test, he just wasn't sure what for yet.

But now Waller's pipes up. "You're absolutely right. Why would we give a loaded weapon to an infamous hitman? Go ahead, pull the trigger. Empty it." She taunts Deadshot. She wants a show and this is beginning to take far longer than she would like.

Griggs clearly hasn't learned his listen on when to shut up and starts to argue with Deadshot. "Don't empty nothing. You don't even know this lady. I've known you, like, 3 weeks. Remember when…"

But Griggs is silenced when Deadshot points the pistol in the air and pulls the trigger to shut him up.

Everyone is surprised by the noise… including a very excited Deadshot.

"What?" Deadshot says more to himself than anyone else as he smells the gun powder on the gun. "Y'all Jokers must be crazy." It's the last thing he says before he spends the next ten minutes emptying every magazine from the guns lying at the table. Waller is more than impressed by the end of the demonstration. Every shot was perfectly square between the eyes on the targets.

When the last target has a whole clear thru it's head, Deadshot turns towards Flag and walks up to be in his face.

"All right. Now you know what you're buyin'. Let me tell you the price. first ... I want outta here. Second, I want full custody of my daughter. All right? And her mom can have, like ...supervised visits. But, her boyfriend can't come. Darnell can't come."

Flag smirks and shakes his head he agrees. "Darnell's out."

"He's out. Third, y'all gonna pay for my daughter's whole education. Best schools. And then I want her to go to college. Like Harvard. Or Yale." Deadshot continues.

"So Ivy league." Again Flag shakes his head like he agrees.

Deadshot is getting more animated by the second. "Ivy league, yeah. One of them big joints, you know? And if she can't cut it ... and her grades start slipping, I need you to white- people that thing. You know how y'all do."

"Oh yeah." Flag chuckles.

"You know, right?" Deadshot continues. "Ok. Now that's my price. But I'm concerned ...'cause I don't see nobody writing shit down."

Flag openly laughs at Deadshot. "You're in no position to make any demands."

"Oh. I'm sorry. You thought I was talking to you. No, errand boy. I'm talking to your boss." Deadshot says as he points towards Waller, while maintaining eye contact with Flag.

Deadshot now looks over to Waller as Griggs put the cuffs back on him. He winks at Waller before they take him away. "That's my price, sweetie. You know what it is."

As they are leading Deadshot away, Flag moves closer to Waller. "Can you believe this guy?" Flag asks her.

But before she can say anything, Waller's phone…and Flag's phone begin to buzz furiously. They both look down at identical texts. "Meta-human sighting…Midway City."

XXX

AN: And here… we…go. Hope you guys liked this update. I will try and get another up soon, but I will be on vacation soon (aka no wifi/computers for a week), so no promises. I have settled on a call sign for River, but anyone have suggestions for what her battle uniform should be?


	6. Memories and Meetings

AN: Ok, so I am not putting the song lyrics in, but I HIGHLY recommend you listen to Smashing Pumpkin's Bullet with Butterfly Wings while reading the first part of this update. If this was a movie, that's what would be playing during this part.

Chapter 5: Memories and Meetings

XXX

River's POV

There is a flurry of activity as Waller and Flag burst through the office door at Belle Reve.

"Talk to me Tam." Waller says as she moves quickly to look over my shoulder at my computer.

I was already hacking into local news feeds and picking up social media chatter before they made it away from the range. "Midway City is under attack. It's a non- human entity."

"How long will the locals be able to hold some type of containment together?" Flag asks as he looks at the footage too.

"A few hours at best. But we won't be able to get them ready in that time."

Waller shows no sign of worry though. "I'll take Flag and Dr. Moone. We will see if we can do some damage while you stay and get them ready. I want them on the scene ASAP Tam."

"Yes Ma'am." I say as I watch Waller collect her things before she and Flag go in search of Dr. Moone to head to Midway City.

I sigh, pinch the bridge of my nose, and mentally hate myself for the order I have to call into Griggs.

"Griggs…" I say into my radio as I wait for him to respond.

"Do my ears deceive me, or is the princess callin' me." Griggs responds after a moment.

Just hearing his voice makes me want to vomit, but I get right to the point. "Activate Task Force X."

XXX

Seconds after River had called in the order to Griggs, Belle Reve went into high alert. The prisoners would need to be secured one at a time, because they simply didn't have the man power to extract them all at once. And for the two still in process… they would have to be bagged and tagged separately from the others because they still hadn't been able to clear them of all their weapons.

Griggs and his crew are on his way to extract Deadshot when he sends a text. _"They're being moved. Need to hit Van Criss ASAP."_ Griggs types on a purple burner phone as he glances anxiously for the reply.

 _"_ _Give her the phone before they move. xD"_

This would be one order Griggs would have no problem complying with.

XXX

…1 hour later…

River's POV

I watched from the control room as they went to each of their cells, one by one, to round up the members of Task Force X. It was a weird feeling, being on this side of the glass…watching… observing like they had done with me back at the Academy. I wince when I think about it… think about how I'm just like _them_. Just like all those old men. Never getting their hands dirty by doing anything… just standing and watching others do it for them.

It's makes me sick to my stomach and my skin crawl. I can't help but see flashes of memory mixed with visions of how each squad member would be rounded up. Memories of how I was forced to get on my knees, like Harley, when they would come to get me… or how later I would stand my ground like Deadshot.

After I put enough of them into the infirmary they would have to come for me when I least expected it, like Chatto, and stick me with some new drug to knock me out. I was a thing to them… an experiment… something less than human, like Croc. Some piece of trash that they had stepped on and didn't give a second thought about, like Harkness.

I turn away from the monitors to try and stomp out the memories out of existence. But it's like a tidal wave of nauseous emotion, and nothing I do is going to get those memories out of my brain. I squeeze my eyes shut in hopes of keeping the tears inside, but a few escape. At least I am only screaming on the inside.

"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage." I say as I begin to wipe away tears and with shaky hands pack up my stuff. Nothing has changed… I'm still trapped. Still a soldier in someone-else's war.

Before I head out of the office to pick up a certain something from Griggs, I make a phone call from Waller's line. I don't have to wait very long for them to pick up.

"Hello, this is Ms. Tam, Amanda Waller's aide. It seems something has come up and we will need to close the facility today…" The man on the other end is not amused.

"Yes, I do understand Dr. Van Criss, but this isn't up for discussion."

XXX

…1 hour later…

As the white delivery van pulls up to the gate at Van Criss industries, the occupants are met with a rather unexpected sight. The facility was closed. More than just closed, it was outright deserted when it should have had at least some security guards or something.

"What do we have here?" The Joker says as he peaks his head up from the back of the van.

"Boss, I ain't think anyone's here." The driver says quite idiotically.

But the Joker is already less than pleased at what he sees and punches the man in the face for his idiocy. "You don't say."

Just then, the Joker's pocket vibrates, and he fishes out his phone.

His face contorts into devilish grin and his maniacal laugh echoes off the metal walls of the van as he reads the text message. _"In life, as in chess, forethought wins."_ Signed with a cat emoji.

He had to give her credit. She was playing a dangerous game, and she was doing quite well. He was intrigued before. But now? Now, she had his attention.

"Oh, you want to play little kitty cat… lets play." The Joker says as he sits back down in the back of the van.

"Boss?" The driver asks him, not sure of what to do.

"Plan B." The Joker says with irritation dripping from his voice.

That's all the driver needs to hear as he backups and drives to their next destination.

XXX

…1 hour later, Midway City…

By the time Waller, Flag, and Dr. Moone were wheels up in the air, the situation in Midway City had gone from bad to worse. Worldwide military was on alert, and conventional weapons were already proving to be ineffective. When Waller reached Midway City, there was already a plan in place to drop a high explosive payload underneath the non-human entity and detonate. It had been Waller's idea to send in Flag and Dr. Moone, or rather Enchantress, to drop the charges. It seemed foolproof.

"Flag, talk to me. What's going on down there?" Waller says as she monitors the inferred cameras and the surveillance footage from the subway that her command post had been able to hack into.

For the next minute, Waller waits patiently for the Colonel to respond. However, when he does, it is not with what Waller expects.

"Amanda, she bolted."

Waller never asks anyone to repeat themselves, but she's so amazed by what she hears she has to. "Say it again?"

"She bolted!" Flag's voice screams in her headpiece.

"Shit." Waller says as she proceeds to stab Enchantress's heart with her pen repeatedly.

XXX

As Enchantress fade walks into the old train station that Incubus has fortified, she's already starting to fade away.

"Brother help me. Before she kills me." Enchantress says as she drags her body towards the towering form of Incubus.

He immediately stops creating his fortifications and turns towards his sister. While he hasn't fully recovered his strength yet, he has more than enough energy to share. Incubus releases a wave of energy from his hand and it washes over Enchantress; as it does, the dirt, grime, and scar tissue are washed away, and in their place Enchantress stands akin to a living gold statue.

"Where's your heart?" Incubus asks as he stands and takes in his sister.

"I will take it back. Until then you will share your power. Now help me build my altar. It's time to bring nightmares to life." Enchantress says as she walks towards the end of the room. She raises her hands and releases the energy from her hands… a swirl of lights, smoke, and energy begin to fill the room as Enchantress sets to work.

XXX

…Military transport, In route to Midway City…

River's POV

I'm sitting in the front with the pilot, still keeping my distance from the squad. I'm not sure if it's out of self preservation of my mental stability or guilt that I am the one who got them into this. I can hear them all… their voices are loud enough to drown out the whir of the plane's engines. But it's getting very crowded in there and I feel like my mind is gasping for breath.

A buzz in my pocket pulls me out of internal struggle. It's the purple burner phone I had taken from Griggs. It had been easy enough to lift the phone when I passed him the hallway, and I imagine he was close to a mental breakdown searching for it back at Belle Reve. It had been a delicious little gift at send off to not have to see him when they loaded up the squad.

I look at the phone and read the message. _"I can't wait to show you my new toys, kitty cat. hAhaHa XD"_

Hmm… This could be interesting and if leveraged correctly, would prove useful. _"I have a proposition."_ I text back quickly.

I get a response a few seconds after I send mine. _"Are you sweet-talkin' me again? Careful, could get you hurt… XD"_

I chuckle and send my response…

XXX

…2 hours later, Midway City…

The entire city had been put on lockdown after the first plan failed. Flag had been lucky to get to the evac-site and regroup with the Alpha and Bravo teams. He was tired, hungry, and more than a little pissed as he's going over the newest set of mission parameters.

"Those assholes here yet?" Flag asks his Captain on Alpha team, GQ.

"Yeah. Touched down 5 minutes ago. Tam's on her way here now." GQ responds as he looks back towards where River is approaching the group.

Flag stands and looks back in the direction that GQ is looking. "Glad you could join the party Tam."

XXX

River's POV

"I miss out on anything good? Hi GQ." I say as I give him a quick hug.

GQ had handled part of my additional training, and we had bonded over the few weeks we spent working together. And while it had at first stung to think of him like a surrogate brother… it had gotten easier.

"Hey shorty." He says as he returns my hug and ruffles my hair. I can feel Flag rolling his eyes, but also suppressing a chuckle. He liked that GQ and I got along.

"They unloaded?" Flag asks me as I let go of GQ and fix my hair.

"On the way here now. Along with their personal property." I say as I look around the command post to see where I can setup shop briefly and organize my equipment. "Can I setup there?" I ask Flag as I point to a semi-unoccupied part of his command tent.

"Make it quick." Flag says as he nods ok. "Alpha, Bravo team, on me. Let's go see these scumbags."

I roll my eyes as Flag takes Alpha and Bravo teams to see the squad. Flag needs to loosen up on his definition of scumbag.

I take my backpack and duffle over to the unoccupied table and quickly begin to pull out my personal equipment. The backpack is filled with my tech equipment, while the duffle has my weapons and combat clothes.

Well… my version of combat clothes. Flag had called me foolish, said I would have difficulty moving and it didn't provide enough protection. But what can I say, the sleeveless black leather jumpsuit felt like a second skin. And the boots? Well, the reminded me of my old ones, except these were the right size.

I quickly head over to one of the empty tents to get changed.

XXX

Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, and Killer Croc are strapped to the metal wheelchairs as Flag approaches with the Alpha and Bravo teams. Captain Boomerang is being carried over in a canvas bag, while Weiss had to be handcuffed to three military guards to keep him secure.

"Unlock 'em." Flag tells the military personnel responsible for transporting them.

No one waits to be told twice, and quickly unlock the bindings on the four 'freaks' so they can back the fuck away. Everyone just stands and watches to see what they are going to do or say.

It's Harley that speaks first. "Hi, boys! Harley Quinn. How do you do?" She says as she reaches her hand out towards anyone close by. They all move further away.

When no one starts talking to her, Harley takes matters into her own hands. "Haaah? What was that? I should kill everyone and escape? Sorry. The voices." Again, her 'joke' is met with silence. "I'm kidding. jeez!" She says accompanied with a raucous laugh. "That's not what they really said." She says under her breath as the military personnel drag over the canvas bag with Captain Boomerang.

"What do we got here? 12 pounds of shit in a 10- pound sack." Flag says as he leans down and slice open the canvas bag instead of dealing with the lock on the zipper. "Welcome to party, Capitan Boomerang."

But that is all Flag manages to get out before a very angry Boomerang springs up and starts throwing punches at anyone nearby. Two members of Bravo team and Flag have to restrain him.

"Hey, hey, hey ... What's going on, man?" Captain says as Flag puts a knife to his neck.

"Calm down." Flag says as he pulls the knife back.

Boomerang starts to chuckle a little. "Hey, one minute I'm playing Mahjong with me nanna then this red streak hits me outta nowhere."

But Flag is not willing to take any bullshit. "Shut up! You were caught robbing a diamond exchange."

"I was not!" Boomerang exclaims as the Bravo team guys begin to none to gently move him to stand with the others.

"Oi! Quinn, whatcha doin' here?" Boomerang yells as he takes in the others around him.

"Same as you Digger." She says easily. "And here comes Slipknot the man who climb anything. Wonderful." Harley says with mild disgust. She had crossed paths with Slipknot before and was not a fan of some of his… opinions.

"Have a good time, scumbag." A female military officer says as she finally gets to unlock herself from being chained to Slipknot. Slipknot doesn't say anything though as he head butts the woman.

The two remaining military officers proceeds to pull him up and away from the fallen woman, while Slipknot merely shrugs his shoulders. "She had a mouth."

Harley sneers in disgust at him.

Flag is already pained having to deal with these fools and wants to get the show on the road. "Listen up!" He yells. "In your necks injection you got, it's a nanite explosive. the size of a rice grain but it's powerful as a hand grenade. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, and guess what? You die."

Haley decides to have a little fun and quickly raises her hand. "I'm known to be quite vexing. I'm just forewarning you." She says with a laugh.

"Lady, shut up!" Flag has zero patience for any of them right now. This was supposed to be Tam's detail and she's lagging. "This is the deal. You're going somewhere very bad to do something that'll get you killed. But until that happens you're my problem."

Deadshot chimes in when Flag has finished. "So was that like a pep talk?"

"Sure, call that a pep talk. There's your shit. Grab what you need for a fight. We're wheels up in 10." Flag tells all of them as he points to the crates and trash bags full of their stuff.

But Deadshot continues to get in Flag's face a little. "You might wanna work on your team motivation thing. You heard of Phil Jackson?"

"Yeah." Flag says with zero amusement in his voice.

"He's like a gold standard. OK? Triangle, bitch. Study." Deadshot says as he throws a triangle hand sign in Flag's face.

The earwig in Flag's ear buzzes, and he chuckles at the voice he hears. "You want pep talks? Talk to her." Flag says as he turns and points to River walking up to ragtag group.

XXX

River's POV

The minute I see Flag point in my direction, was the minute my inner voice went _"Oh Shit,"_ as their thoughts slam into my head.

 _"_ _Trouble?"_

 _"_ _Hey, ain't she the girl I seen lurkin' around the club?"_

Seven sets of angry, confused, or just amused faces snapped in my direction, and almost all of them recognize me.

 _"_ _Didn't I see her when Zoe and I…"_

 _"_ _You got to be shittin' me."_

 _"_ _This chica?"_

I wanted to punch Flag just a little bit for directing everyone to me.

"Meet the ringleader of the freakshow." Flag says as he takes a step away from Deadshot to give me the metaphorical floor.

"Oh, we've met before, ain't we Trouble?" Boomerang says as his eyes start at my feet and rove up my body. I'm getting flashes of what he's focusing on, and I can't help but chuckle. At least he isn't one of the angry voices in my head… that would be Deadshot and Slipknot.

"You're the girl who was in the toy story, the one who told Zoe you liked her jacket." Deadshot remarks as also gives me a one over. But unlike Boomerang, Deadshot's gaze is appraising me as a threat.

"And I know I've seen you in Mister J's club." Harley says as she walks over.

El Diablo is also drawing closer. "She's the one who been roundin' us all up homies. I seen her in LA too."

I dare to take a deep breath and hold out my hand for someone to shake. It might be idiotic, but I can try. "River Tam."

Not so surprisingly, it's Harley who grabs it with her own and shakes it enthusiastically. "Harley Quinn… nice to meetcha."

XXX

AN: Alright. The first meeting. Well, part of it ;) And if anyone is curious as to what River's outfit looks like, google Summer Glau in the Sarah Connor Chronicles. It's the black leather outfit with the belt that wraps around her waist. It really was just the perfect outfit.

Also, what do you think River's proposition to Joker is going to be, hmmm? ;)


	7. Dark Places

AN: Okay, so I am using Google translate for the Japanese in this chapter, so if it's not right, oh well.

Chapter 6: Dark Places

XXX

River's POV

"So you're the reason we all got shuffled off to that armpit of a swamp." Slipknot says as he pushes his way past the others, and shoves Harley out of the way so he can get in my face. He's easily a foot or two taller than me, but with his attitude I am a millisecond away from kicking his teeth down his throat.

"Hey!" Harley says as she shoves Slipknot back. But he just holds out his arm and Harley huffs and glares daggers at him.

"Easy mate…" Boomerang says as he takes a step closer. "No need for that."

"Why? Cause she's a little girl? This bitch is the reason we are all locked up." Slipknot yells at Boomerang.

My eyes narrow and I glare at Slipknot. I knew he was going to be the one that would cause the most trouble, but Waller had insisted.

He just chuckles in my face at the look I give him. "That all you good for then? Pouting and giving dirty looks?"

"Don't push my buttons, Weiss." I say in a low warning.

"Or what? You gonna get your bodyguard over there to blow my head off?" He says while mocking me. "Face it bitch, you can't…"

But Slipknot doesn't get the chance to finish as I haul off and punch him square in the jaw… hard enough to knock him to the ground. He spits blood and a tooth out of his mouth before he is trying to charge me.

"You little fuckin' bitch!" He's screaming as Croc and Chato hold him back, Boomerang steps between me and Weiss, and Deadhsot and Harley just laugh, both thinking it was a nice right hook. The little scene has also drawn the attention of Flag and GQ, who both come back over and see what's going on.

"Suck it up Weiss!" I yell at him as Flag and GQ move to stand next to me, each one holding in snickers. Flag raises his smartphone detonator in warning. Slipknot throws off Croc and Chato's hands and raises his arms to show he'll be cool.

"Look, I know none of you asked for this. I know you feel like the world hates you, dealt you a bad start, or is just unfair. And I know that's what you think of yourselves too. You're the bad guys… the worst of the worst. But you can still do some good. You can still be heroes to the people who matter." I say as I look pointedly at Deadshot. Thoughts of his daughter float through my brain and I can feel his sadness. "So.. no more runnin'. Let's be the bad guys. Let's aim to misbehave." As the words leave my mouth they leave a bittersweet taste behind. Captain Daddy would have approved.

"There's your pep talk." Flag chimes in smugly.

"Compared to your shit, she killed it." Deadshot says with a chuckle. "So what's the plan then?"

GQ jumps in to answer. "There's an active terrorist event in Midway City. We enter the city, rescue HVT- 1, get them to safety, and then secure delivery of a specialized weapon to deal with the terrorist."

"Sorry. For those of us who don't speak good guy, what's HVT- 1?" Boomerang asks.

"The only person that matters in the city ...the one person you can't kill. Complete the mission, you get time off your prison sentence. Fail the mission, you die. Any questions?" Flag asks nonchalantly.

"What, we some kind of Suicide Squad?" Deadshot asks as the last few thoughts of his daughter are swept from his mind. "And what's this specialized weapon?"

"You don't have the clearance for that." Flag says sharply. "And I'll notify your next of kin. Alpha, Bravo team, we're wheels up in 10!" Flag finishes as he and GQ leave to get their gear.

After a moment, the squad seems to come back to reality and moves to get their own gear… all but Harley.

"So…" She starts as she looks me up and down. I can feel the wheels turning in her head, analyzing everything she just heard and sees.

"So." I respond and wait for her to continue.

"Caucasian, female, early 20s, good health, and… an only child?"

I chuckle. "One brother, older."

Harley smiles. "Ahh. Always looking to step out of brother's shadow?"

Again, I chuckle. "Hardly, I was correcting his homework when I was 5."

"Ohh, a feisty one!" Harley says with glee as she claps her hands and thinks about all the fun we are doing to have. "So tell me, what's the deal with all this suicide squad shit? I mean, I figure that's why you were at the club those times I saw you. This all part of your master plan?"

I shake my head. "We all do things we don't want to for self preservation." I offer up to her.

She nods, I imagine similarly to the nod she used with her patients at Arkham. As if I have said something thought provoking for my 'treatment,' and she's taking mental notes.

I glance around and decide now is as good of any to pass something along to her. "Of course, doesn't mean I can't play by my own rules Doc." I say as I hand her the purple burner phone.

She takes it quickly and gives me a puzzled look before realization dawns in her mind as she reads the text on the screen. _"I'll see you soon, XD."_

Her eyes snap up to mine and I give her a wink. "Shhh." I say quietly.

I'm completely thrown when her arms wrap around mine and she grabs me in a bear hug. "We are going to be such good friends." She says when she lets me go and trots back over to her gear.

I am about to turn and go get my own gear when I hand grabs my arm and I move to counter. Once again I am met with the feel of a thick coat under my grip.

"Easy, Trouble. Only ol' Digger." He says as I let go of his arm.

"Reflex. Sorry." I say as I cross my arms somewhat nervously. I'm not sure entirely why I am apologizing, but Digger Harkness just makes me feel… uneasy.

"So, that night at the club, were you there lookin' for me, or was it just a 'happy' coincidence?" He says with air quotes.

His goofy drunk smile from that night flashes in my head and despite my better judgement I feel a bit bad about his current situation. I nervously rub the back of my head. "I wasn't there looking for you, but I am not going to try and say I am not the reason that you are here, it's just… complicated is all."

He laughs. "Well, you weren't kiddin' when you said you was trouble."

"Look don't get me wrong. You've all done some bad things, I'm just not convinced that any of you are truly evil people." I say as I turn to walk away.

I get half a step before Digger keeps talking. "'bout that date…"

This elicits a chuckle from me and I turn back towards him. "What about it?"

"Well, this hardly seems to be the best venue, but given the circumstances, think it'll make do." He puffs out his chest a little as he says this and now I am full blown laughing. I try an stop myself soon though because I can feel the Doc's attention trained on me and Digger.

"Tell you what Digger…" I smile. "You live through this, and we'll see about a real date."

I turn to collect my gear and shake my head at Digger's thoughts on what a real date would be.

XXX

Boomerang watches as the lil' bit of trouble walks towards the command center, and chuckles to himself before turning the opposite direction to get the rest of his gear. The others are already suited up, and rifling through the various containers with their personal effects.

"What? Won't fit anymore? Too much junk in the trunk?" Harley asks Deadshot as he holds a face mask in his hands.

"Nah." Deadshot chuckles. "Every time I put this on, somebody dies."

Harley stops putting on her lipstick and looks at Deadshot. "And?"

"I like putting it on."

"Goody." Harley replies as she bends down into her container and pulls out a wooden carnival mallet. "Somethin' tells me a whole lotta people are about to die." She says with glee.

"Yeah. It's us. You heard 'em, we're being led to our deaths." Chato adds.

"Speak for yourself mate. I got a date after this." Boomerang says as he quickly shoves a handful of boomerangs into his coat, along with a plush pink unicorn.

"Yeah, what's the deal with you and her?" Harley asks as she puts the mallet down and picks up her baseball bat.

Boomerang shrugs. "Pretty girl I met in your man's club. I know about as much as you do."

"Dude, you can't be that stupid. You do realize she's the one who put us all here, right?" Weiss asks.

"Just makes all them naughty things I intend to do more fun the fact she's a copper." Boomerang laughs at Weiss.

Harley rolls her eyes while both Chato and Croc laugh hysterically. "Homie, you trippin' you think you gonna get anywhere with her." Chato says between laughs.

Boomerang glares at Chato in response. "Hey, what's that crap on your face? Does it wash off?"

Harley can see where the testosterone posturing is going to lead and is quick to change the subject. "Hey, if you like a girl, can you light her cigarette with your pinkie? because that would be real classy."

"Hey, y'all might wanna leave old boy alone. He could torch this whole joint. Ain't that right, ese?" Deadshot asks as he closes the lid to his container and slings his rifle over his shoulder.

Chato just takes it in stride though. "Ain't got nothing to worry about from me. I'm cool, homie."

XXX

River's POV

I'm getting the last of tactical equipment packed into my backpack when I feel her slide up next to me. "Osoidesu/ You're late." I say as I turn and bow towards Tatsu Yamashiro, aka Katana. She was Flag's unofficial bodyguard and had been another one of my trainers.

"Isogashikatta/ I was busy." She says as she returns my bow.

Of course she was. She was a one woman army out for revenge. And considering her revenger involved taking down senior Yakuza members, Waller and Flag were more than happy to look the other way. I smile at her before turning my attention back to my not so light backpack and sling it over my shoulders.

"Anata wa omoku idō suru/ You travel too heavy." She says as she watches me secure the bag.

"Watashitachi zen'in ga higaisha no tamashī o wana ni kaketa ken o motte iru wakede wa arimasen/ Not all of us have swords that trap the soul of its victims."

She laughs. "Zan'nende mo/ A pity too. Dakara, dōdesu ka?/ So how are they?" She says as she motions towards where the squad is standing.

"Yosoku kanōna/ Predictable." I say as I turn and look in their direction. "Shikashi, watashi wa atsukau koto ga dekimasen./ But nothing I can't handle."

This causes Tatsu to laugh. "Sarumokikaraochiru/ Even monkey's fall from trees."

I shrug. "Yōsu o miyou/ We will see."

Flag's bellowing yell comes through the area a moment later. "Mount up!"

"Shimashou ka?/Shall we?" Tatsu asks as we both head towards the waiting military helicopter.

We are the last two to get on, and there are two seats left open. One between Boomerang and Harley, and one next to Flag. I leave the one next to Flag open for Tatsu as I quickly take my seat. Tatsu remains standing though, silently appraising the squad.

"This is Katana." Flag yells as he motions towards her. "She's got my back. She can cut all of you in half with one sword stroke. Just like mowing the lawn. I would advise not getting killed by her. Her sword traps the souls of its victims." He finishes explaining to the squad over the whir of the propellers.

"Harley Quinn. Nice to meet ya." Harley says as she extends her hand like she had earlier. "Love your perfume. What is that? The stench of death?"

Katana merely rolls her eyes and reaches for her sword. "Watashi wa sorera o korosubekidesu ka/ Should I kill them?"

"Easy cowgirl. Ain't that kind of mission. Have a seat." Flag says as he motions for Katana to sit. She does so somewhat reluctantly and continues to give the squad a once over.

"She seems nice." Harley leans over and tells me.

I chuckle. "Just stay on her good side."

I feel the helicopter take off shortly after and lean my head back against the headrest. When I close my eyes it's almost like being on Serenity. Not as quiet or as smooth as Wash's flying, but close…

My trip down memory lane is cut short by Digger tapping me a moment later though.

"So, how'd a pretty doll like yourself get wrapped up in all this?" He asks me.

I glance in his direction and arch an eyebrow. "Are you really that interested?"

"Course I am luv!"

I laugh. More like he's interested in getting into my pants, but his persistence is almost endearing. "Let's just say I got mixed up with the wrong crowd," I reply quietly as I glance over at Flag.

I can hear the wheels in Harley's mind turning again, always listening for any little bit of information. She's almost like Waller in that regard. But her attention is quickly diverted to the swirling light-show outside.

"Look at the pretty lights! Are you guys seein' this?" She says as she turns and looks out the window.

Deadshot glance outside before turning his attention to wards Flag. "What happened?"

"Terror attack. Dirty bombs, bad guys shooting up the place with AKs. You know, usual shit."

It's a lie. A bad one. And Deadshot immediately calls him on it. "Right. Yeah, you're a bad liar. I don't know if they told you… but I'm a hitman. I'm not a fireman. I don't save people."

"Anything for a dollar, right?"

I grimace as I feel both men begin to posture. Flag really needs to learn when to not say stupid things.

"You know the dark places, too. Don't act like you don't." Deadshot challenges.

"I'm a soldier! And you're a serial killer who takes credit cards. When the shooting starts ... and it will, you'll cut and run. And then I'll blow your head off."

Deadshot laughs at Flag's arrogance. "You just threatened me?"

But fucking Flag just doesn't know when to quit. "Oh, yeah."

"He just threatened me." Deadshot says in warning.

But between their macho ego bullshit and all the voices swirling around me I am getting a headache. "SHUT UP! All of you!" I say as I try and ease the tension building in my temples and drop my head between my hands.

Suddenly, all the noise drops away, and their is complete silence. I look back up and I am no longer in the helicopter… it's just pitch black all around me.

I growl in frustration. "Enchantress." I saw quietly while taking a defensive stance. Her cackle echoes around me.

 _"_ _You're lost little girl…You're lost little girl,  
You're lost …Tell me who …Are you?" _

"This isn't real." I tell myself. "It's just another one of your tricks."

 _"_ _I think that you know what to do…Impossible? Yes, but it's true,  
I think that you know what to do, yeah…I'm sure that you know what to do."_

"This isn't real." I repeat as I try and will myself to wake up.

XXX

One minute, River had been yelling at everyone, and then next she seemed to slump over in her seat.

"Doll?" He says as he tries to shake her.

"Oi! Harley, give me a hand here?" Boomerang says as he props her back up.

Harley leans over and immediately checks River's pulse. It was steady, but she almost seemed catatonic. "Hey, girly, you there?" Harley asks.

Harley sees River's lips moving, and leans in closer to try and hear. What she does hear is a name, very faint. "Enchantress."

Harley looks up to Boomerang's expectant face and shrugs her shoulders. She's just about to open her mouth when the entire helicopter is shaken and rocked by a loud explosion. Warning lights flash and the helicopter begins to plummet.

"Six- one is going down. Six- one is going down hard." The pilot's voice echoes over the loudspeaker in the helicopter and everyone braces for impact. As the helicopter hits the ground, it flips over a few times before screeching to a stop.

"What a ride!" Harley says excitedly.

"Everyone good?" Flag asks as dust settles.

"This one's still out." Boomerang says as he unhooks his restraints and then moves to undo River's restraints.

"What do you mean still out?" Flag asks as he shuffles between everyone and crouches in front of River.

"Tam, you with us?" Flag says as he gently shakes her. He looks between Harley and Boomerang. "She say anything before she passed out?"

"She mumbled the name Enchantress." Harley says easily.

Flag's mood immediately darkens. "Let's get her out of here." He says as begins to hoist her up. Before Flag can get his shoulder under her arm though, Boomerang swoops her up into his arms.

"Lead the way." Boomerang says to Flag.

Flag gives Boomerang a rather dirty glare. "Touch her and it'll be the last thing you do."

"Easy mate! No need to be gettin' all defensive." Boomerang says with a chuckle.

Flag is not having it and continues to eye Boomerang suspiciously before turning and making his way out of the helicopter to where the others are waiting.

"He needs to loosen up." Harley whispers to Boomerang as they make their way out of the wreckage.

XXX

AN: Well, moving right along =) Hope you all enjoyed this update. What did you think of her first real interaction with everyone? Feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated.


	8. What the hell are they?

AN: I have to say, this chapter was one I have been waiting to post for a while. I think you will all figure out why. ;)

Chapter 7: What the hell are they?

XXX

River's POV

I'm watching them all as they sit around the table. Joking, laughing, smiling… just as they were… just as they will always be in my memories. Everything looks just like I remember it; the worn table, the mismatched dishes and cups, the way that everyone always seemed to find their way to the same seat.

Shepherd Book is telling a story… he always did tell the best stories. His face would become so animated, and you would finally get a glimpse of the real him. Not the person he was hiding behind.

Wash and Zoe are curled up into one another. Not overly so, but symbiotically. Almost as if they needed to be touching in some way to feel whole. Two puzzle pieces that just fit together.

Jayne was content. He would try to say he was some stone-cold killer, and to others he would be. But not here. Here, he was home… even if he would never admit it out loud.

Mal and Inara laugh easily, each one letting their guard down. Sly little glances and touches. I missed that before. But it's easy to see now.

Kaylee beams sunshine and sweetness. Her face radiated the happiness she feels and when she laughs at Book story, it's as if the sun was shinning on a summer day. It even manages to make Simon glow.

They all look so happy. But then I realize something is off. There's a seat missing…

There's no longer a space for me.

…Back in Midway City…

Just before my eyes snap open, the strong smell of smelling salts hits my nostrils. I sit up so rapidly that I nearly head-butt GQ.

"Oh goody, she's awake." Harley says as she claps her hands in excitement.

GQ helps me sit back. "Easy there shorty."

"What happened?" I ask as I look up at the faces of GQ, Harley, and Boomerang. There is a mix of concern and curiosity coming from all three of them. Great, just what I need, more scrutinizing looks from people.

"You passed out, luv. The next thing we know the chopper's crashin' and burnin'." Boomerang responds.

I groan as I try and stretch the ache in my shoulder. "Nice to see we're all still in once piece then."

"She's awake." GQ calls over his shoulder to Flag, who stomps over a second later.

"Rise and shine sleepin' beauty." Flag says as he crouches down next to me. "GQ can you take these two over there and give us a minute." He tells GQ.

"Come on, lets give her some air." GQ says pointedly to Harley and Boomerang.

I watch as the hesitantly move over to where the others are all gathered. Everyone is stealing quick glances in our direction, and I feel a few ears trying to listen in. This is not how I wanted things to start.

"Care to tell me what happened?" Flag asks me quietly but direct.

I can hear his unspoken question, about Enchantress. But he is really in no position to be asking or demanding answers on that topic. I narrow my eyes at him. "Irrelevant." I say as I pull my backpack over towards me.

But Flag isn't having it. "Tam…"

I sigh as I pull my weapons, a Walther P22 sidearm and kerambits, out of my bag and then close it up. "We're in for a fight… Mental and psychical." I say as I stand up, secure my weapons and heft my bag onto my shoulders.

The weight of my words sink in. "You ready for this?" Flag asks me quietly.

I sigh. It's not like I have a choice. "Are you?"

He doesn't answer my question out loud, but his apprehension and reluctance are written all over his face. "Come on, the others are waiting." He says as he turns and starts to walk over to where the squad, Katana, Alpha, and Bravo teams are standing.

"Have a nice nap?" Slipknot asks with a sneer.

His attitude is really getting to be quite irksome… to more than just me. I can feel the prickle of irritation coming from some of the others too.

"You should try it some time Weiss. With your ugly mug, you look like you could use some beauty rest."

Deadshot and Croc both chuckle at my retort, but Weiss is just seething inside. He is going to be a problem that needs to be dealt with.

"Alright, Alpha team will lead Tam's team to the rendezvous point up ahead. Bravo will bump out two squad blocks to the East. We get into any trouble, we will leap frog through you. Clear?" Flag asks his soldiers.

"Everyone move out." Flag says as we begin shuffling into the city.

Everyone falls into their positions. Alpha team leads the way, with Flag and Katana just behind them. I let Deadshot, Harley, Croc, and Chato walk ahead of me. There was no reason to have a rear guard with the squad, that was my detail, and by staying close to the back I could cover the field.

It also allows me to pick up on interesting side conversations. They're trying to be quiet…hushed voices and low whispers, but I can't help but smirk.

XXX

Deadshot and Harley are walking together, 10 meters or so behind Flag. "If that man threatens me again I'm gonna kill him." Deadshot says as he glares at Flag's back.

Harley chuckles. "Well, you better make it quick 'cause he's gonna kill all of us one by one."

Deadshot nods his head in agreement and starts spitballing his plan. "I'm gonna drop him, the Tam girl, sword lady, and one or two of these SEALs. After that, I'm gonna need some help. You down?"

Harley stops walking and grabs Deadshot's arm to stop him too. "I don't think you gotta worry about Tam."

"And why is that? She's the reason we're in this mess."

Harley rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but I get the feelin' it ain't as much her idea as you think."

Deadshot is puzzled. "How you figure?"

"Little things… things she's said to me. What she's told Digger, about gettin' mixed up with the wrong crowd… And things she's done." Harley says as she covertly shows Deadshot the purple burner phone.

Deadshot arches an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

Harley shakes her head in confirmation.

"So what? Your friend's gonna help us out with the shit in our necks?"

Harley blushes and acts coy. "You're my friend, too."

"Stay evil, doll face." Deadshot says as he continues walking ahead.

XXX

…A little bit further behind…

"Mind games." Captain Boomerang whispers over to Slipknot as they trail the group.

But Slipknot hadn't been paying attention and missed what Boomerang had said. "What's that?"

"All this bomb in the neck crap. That ain't real, mate. See, they're trying to trap us with our own minds. right? But you look around, we're free, brah." Boomerang says as he motions around them.

Slipknot looks skeptical. "How do you know this?"

"The copper. I'm workin' on gettin' her to trust me and she let it slip. It's a con."

Slipknot looks over at Boomerang and tries to weigh the merit of what he is telling him. He isn't sure about Boomerang, but it does seem like he's trying to get closer to that little bitch for a reason.

"Now I'm going. because I got a life to live. Question is, are you coming?" Boomerang asks a still skeptical Slipknot.

Slipknot takes a minute before he finally concedes. "Yeah!"

"Smart!" Boomerang says as he nods in Slipknots direction.

XXX

River's POV

I have to say… hearing what Boomerang was saying and plotting… it was ridiculous. I mean, granted Weiss is an unmitigated ass, but really? Was Weiss really so stupid as to fall for that bullshit from Boomerang? How in the hell had he not gotten himself killed before this?

I slow my steps so I am a few feet in front of Boomerang and Weiss. As Boomerang gives Weiss a small nod to signal him, I stop abruptly so I end up bumping into Boomerang, and quickly move to disarm the boomerang he's drawing from his jacket. Boomerang is all show though. He has no intention of throwing the boomerang or running, he just wants to see Weiss get his head blown off.

Weiss, however, has failed to pick up on any of this, and is rapidly scaling a nearby building.

"Flag!" I yell to alert his attention.

As Flag turns, the rest of Alpha team begins to fire at Slipknot.

"Hold your fire!" Flag yells as he quickly fishes his smartphone detonator out of his pocket and detonates the nanite in Slipknot's head. His body stops mid jump and collides against the building, his decapitated body hanging for everyone to see.

Harley cackles insanely. "Now that's a killer app!"

"What the fuck is going on!" Flag yells as he stomps over to where I am standing with Boomerang. Katana, GQ, and Alpha team are hot on his heels, and everyone is glaring at Boomerang, especially GQ.

I motion towards Boomerang next to me. "He thought it would be funny to get rid of the asshole."

This just makes Boomerang laugh hysterically. "Prick had it comin'. 'Sides, less bullshit to deal with."

"I second that!" Harley exclaims to throw her two cents in.

"They do have a point." Croc mumbles.

Flag is not amused though. "Okay. you wanna keep playing ...the Hollywood Squares version of "I'll Blow your freaking Head Off?" He threatens Boomerang, who is still laughing.

"No trouble from me mate." Boomerang says as he holds his hands up in surrender.

"You deal with this scumbag Tam. Move out." He says as he, Katana, and the rest of Alpha team move back up into position. GQ throws a few more pointed glares at Boomerang before he continues.

I turn and glare at Boomerang, who is merely laughing with sick glee. "Sorry… It's what I do." I roll my eyes. He really needs to learn to play with others.

"You really need to work on your people skills." I say not bothering to hold in my disgust.

"Oh come on! Guy was a tosser, no big loss." I can hear the other squad members agreeing, and I can't say I blame them. Weiss was going to be a problem. At least this way I didn't have to worry about him knifing me in the back.

"Let's just get going." I say as I motion for the others to go in the direction that Flag had. Deadshot, Harley, resume walking together… continuing their earlier conversation, while Croc and Chato keep to themselves. I turn towards Boomerang and he gives me a half bow.

"Ladies first." He says with a small flourish.

I roll my eyes, turn, and keep walking.

Boomerang jogs up next to me after a second. "So, he your boyfriend?" He asks as he motions ahead towards Flag.

I am entirely surprised by the question and look over at him with confusion. "Flag? No!"

"What about the other one? The one who keeps trying to burn a hole in me head with his looks."

"GQ?" I ask laughing. "No… he's like a brother."

"Ahh, that explains it. Doesn't want the ol' bogan gettin' near his lil' sis."

Again, I laugh. He really does think the world revolves around him a little more than the average person. "Maybe they're tryin' to protect you Digger." I say offhandedly.

"I told you luv, I like a bit o' trouble… and you do look tasty." He says as he throws an arm over my shoulder.

I contact startles me, and my adrenaline immediately kicks in. Before he knows it, I have spun out of Digger's grasp, used his surprise to my advantage, and have flipped him over on to his back. He lands and releases a groan loud enough to alert the rest of the squad and Flag.

I feel my face flush as they turn and look in our direction, and quickly pick up my pace away from Digger so I am walking closer to the front. I try my best to avert my face from Harley as she walks past me to where Digger is picking himself up off the ground.

XXX

"What did you say to her?" Harley ask Boomerang as he starts to dust himself off.

"Nothing, just havin' a laugh." Boomerang says as he begins walking again.

But Harley is not dissuaded from continuing to grill Boomerang and walks with him. "What did you do?"

Boomerang does not like Harley's appraising look and is getting frustrated. "All I did was be friendly and the next thing I know I'm on me back."

Harley chuckles while Boomerang glowers at her. "So… I'm thinkin' she ain't one who likes to be touched much."

"You don't say?" Boomerang says with a hint of mocking in his voice but he immediately regrets it as Harley continues to examine him further.

After a second Harley breaks out into a wide grin. "You like her, dontcha?"

Boomerang immediately blushes. "She's a pretty copper Harley. Just havin' bit of fun."

"Nuh-uh. I've known you, for what, few years now? This ain't how you normally act around 'just a pretty girl.' This is different. You likkeee her." Harley says drawing out her words like a child would to emphasize her point.

"What are you bloody Socrates with all the questions Harley?" He says refusing to answer her.

And now Harley's smile is a cheshire cat grin. "Oh you definitely like her."

XXX

River's POV

I'm walking along, trying to block them all out when I feel him slide up next to me. But unlike Digger, he knows it wouldn't be good to touch.

"So why did you do it?" Chato asks me in a low voice so only I can hear.

He's making it easy to read him. He's confused and a little angry. Angry that I pulled him out that night. He was ready to die after what he had done; to accept what waited for him. But something or someone had saved him. Again, I feel bad for what my decisions have done. "How long have you known?"

"That it was you that pulled me out? There was a presence that night… I felt it again when you came up to us."

I don't say anything and keep walking, thinking about how best to answer him. I can feel it… his anguish, his guilt. But death wouldn't have taken away that pain.

"Death won't take away your pain."

"How do you know?" It's only half his question. The other half is how do you know what happens when you die.

"I don't. But I know you have a gift, and it would be a shame to waste it."

He sighs and talks more to himself than me. "This is the Devil's gift."

"We all are cursed with gifts."

He slows a step or two and starts to walk by himself again. He wants time to be by himself and think. But since there isn't really anyway to be truly alone right now, he settles for walking by himself.

We're coming up to one of the main intersections when several thoughts prick at my brain. _"Boss, we got people up here."_

"Copy that." Flag says as he motions them forward. I quickly jog up to him and Katana behind one of the abandoned cars. "Keep the rest of them back until we can assess." He says quietly before he and Katana move to join the rest of Alpha team.

I silently motion for the squad to hold up at my position. Deadshot is the first to stop near me. "What's going on?" He asks as the others gather around.

"People up ahead, Alpha is checking out the situation." I reply. But Deadshot is no longer paying attention to me, something behind me has caught his eye and he quietly follows Flag.

"Deadshot!" I hiss, but he doesn't stop. But that's when I feel it. An all too familiar memory.

Except this isn't a memory. This is in front of me. A chill runs down my spine as I realize what Enchantress has done. What she's brought to life… Because there is no other explanation for what I am seeing in front of me.

"Rick, why do they look like that?" GQ asks from his crotched position.

"Just stay cool." Flag responds as he sets his sights from the right of GQ.

Deadshot stops just to the right of Flag. "The hell are they?"

"Reavers." I respond as I move behind Flag and Deadshot. "They're Reavers."

XXX

AN: Yes, an evil cliffhanger (hides behind Croc). I'll try and update soon.


	9. Doctor's orders

AN: Alright, I hope I did this chapter justice and that you all like it. FYI, I will be on vacation next week (with no wifi), so don't count on anything next week. That being said, I will be writing while on vacation. ;)

Chapter 8: Doctor's orders

XXX

River's POV

All the noise, all their thoughts, everything, drops away... and the only thing I hear is the beating of my heart. I can feel it… the adrenaline, as it enters my veins, and begins to circulate. It only takes a second, but every inch of me responds…fight.

The next thing I know it's chaos. I'm not sure who fired first, Flag or Deadshot, but the others are quick to follow suit.

"Hold them back past the line!" Flag yells over the gunfire.

This all feels eerily familiar. Like I've seen it all before… except it wasn't Flag that said it the first time, was it? I can't remember. But I don't have much more time to think about it as the first Reaver makes it to the line and I draw my kerambits.

"I really hate that fuckin' witch." I say as I begin to slice into the flesh of the Reaver in front of me.

XXX

Every person in that alleyway falls into a dance they know all to well; each one drawing their weapon of choice. All except two that is…

Chato couldn't bring himself to get into the fight. He had promised himself, he couldn't risk hurting anyone again. And on this battlefield? Too much could go wrong. He quietly slinks back; away from the fight.

Boomerang, on the other hand, was busy shotgunning beers in a side alley. However, he doesn't have long to enjoy his brew before Reavers begin to drop down from the fire escape above him. The first Reaver manages to knock Boomerang's beer out of his hand with a stray kick, while the next one manages to land a solid punch to Boomerang's right eye. This instantly pisses Boomerang off, who then draws two bladed boomerangs and begins slicing into the Reavers, charging out of the alleyway and entering the fight proper.

Deadshot, Flag, GQ, and Alpha team were sticking to their ARs, while Katana and River were slicing and dicing through anything that got close with their blades. Harley was smashing anything in sight with her bat, and Croc was ripping everything to shreds with his claws.

The Reavers are swarming the group, with many making it past Alpha team's front line. And they all seem to have a singular target in mind.

"Get off me! Get off me!" Flag screams as four Reavers begin grabbing his limbs and dragging him away. He can't seem to break their hold, and more continue to swarm him.

XXX

River's POV

I hear Flag screaming from the side of the battlefield. I have three Reavers on me and they don't seem to be letting up. I look to see who would be closest to help Flag.

"Harley!" I yell. "Help Flag!"

Harley takes a bat to a Reaver before looking at me and rolling her eyes. "Do I gotta?"

"Harley, he dies, we die!" Deadshot yells from in front of me.

"Uh..FINE!" She says as she charges at the Reavers dragging Flag away.

I turn back towards the frontline when I am hit across the face with a fist. I can taste the taste of copper in my mouth and immediately see red.

A growl emirates from my lips. "My turn…" I say to myself as I charge in front of Alpha team and Deadshot.

Once again, the noise around me drops away. There are no bullets flying, there are no screams, there is just the adrenaline in my veins, the beating of my heart, and the blades in my hands.

XXX

As River makes it past the front line, GQ yells out to her. "Tam! Fall Back!" But her gaze is laser focused and she doesn't acknowledge his presence.

"TAM!" Deadshot screams as he advances forward behind her, but again, she doesn't respond.

As Alpha team and Deadshot stop firing, afraid of accidentally hitting River, they are amazed by the sight before them. In a split second, River draws her gun and fires every round in her clip. Twelve bullets… twelve perfect bullseyes right between the advancing Reavers' eyes. The clip empties and she holsters the gun to go back to her blades.

There were at least half a dozen Reavers advancing, and she charges headlong into them. It's like a jungle cat, charging into a heard of wildebeests. Her bladed claws connect with the flesh of her opponents and she proceeds to swirl…swing…duck…and bend around them fluidly. Everyone watches as the smallest one on the squad takes on the Reavers with the grace of a dancer.

By the end of it, each one of her opponents lays dead at her feet, and she doesn't have a scratch on her.

XXX

River's POV

I'm drawn out of my bloodlust haze by the sound of my own breath. It's coming out hard and fast as I try and pump oxygen into my lungs and slow my racing heart. It takes a minute, and I let my head fall back and my eyes close.

 _"_ _Inhale…exhale…."_ I tell myself over and over. _"Inhale…exhale…."_

After a minute, I turn back and walk towards where the squad and Alpha team are waiting. I'm too tired to try and block out everyone's thoughts… too tired to try and keep everything in check… and they flood into my brain like water breaking free from a dam.

It's a mix of awe and suspicion from most. A disbelief in what they just saw. How was it even possible? Even GQ and Katana, who had seen my skills first hand, were having a hard time rectifying it.

Deadshot, with his near perfect aim, has trouble understanding it as well. It had taken him practically his entire life to achieve the level of skill I had displayed with my gun, never mind the blades. _"How the holy hell?"_ Is on repeat in his thoughts as I walk past him.

I'm just too tired to care what they all think tough. "You wouldn't believe her if she told you." Is all I say in response as I walk past him.

My slip in speech doesn't go unnoticed. It had been so long… so long… since I had felt this scrambled… unfocused. I know it's all the witch's doing, and I mentally remind myself I just need to try and hold it together.

By the time I make it where Harley is smashing a Reaver's head into the ground repeatedly with her bat, I all but collapse against one of the abandoned cars.

"Hey. Hey. come on." I tell Harley as I try and pause long enough to regain some energy.

"What? I saw it move. See? It flinched. I think." Harley says as she toes the Reaver with her foot.

"Speaking of which, want to explain this?" Flag says as he comes to stand near where I am sitting.

I don't say anything as my head drops back against the car I'm leaning against. "Reavers." I repeat.

"Yeah, you said that, but what is it? This guy had a $3,000 watch." Deadshot says as he points to a nearby corpse. "Is that a person?"

"It was. Now it's not… Hey, don't." I glare at Boomerang as he crouches down to knick the watch.

"What?" He says as he pockets the watch and shoots me a toothy grin.

I roll my eyes.

"So what are they?" Harley asks as all crowd around where I am sitting. Even GQ, Katana, and Alpha team draw in closer to hear my explanation of what we just encountered.

A chill creeps up my spine and before I can stop it, Zoe's words come barreling into my mind. _"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."_

I feel my hands shake as I bring them up to hold the sides of my head, trying desperately to keep her words locked away in my brain. "They're nightmares… something found hidden in the darkest corners of the mind. Something that should have stayed dead and buried."

"Well, they clearly ain't." Digger offhandedly remarks.

"So what are they?" Flag continues to probe.

"Don't think about what they are. All we need to do is kill them." I say as I manage to get to my feet and look Flag square in the eye. I know he can't hear my thoughts, but I am trying desperately to tell him to drop it, because he won't like anything else I have to say.

He seems to take the hint. "We got a job to do. Keep movin'. Get your squad moving." Flag says as he moves to continue pushing forward with Alpha team, GQ, and Katana.

I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "You heard him." I say to the rest of the squad. But unlike Flag, they don't want to let this drop.

"What are you not tellin' us?" Harley asks critically.

She knows something is off. That I didn't give Flag everything he wanted to hear. I hadn't expected to get anything past her, but I had hoped she would let it drop. "Don't expect this to be a walk in the park. We're in for a fight." I say quickly, hoping that it will be enough to appease her and the rest of the squad.

It seems to momentarily, until Digger points out that Chato was rather absent from the last one. "Hey, you were some help last time, princess."

"It's better this way. Trust me." Chato responds solemnly.

"Oh, yeah you're the fire bloke, eh?"

"Yeah, I was. Yeah."

This just seems to irritate Digger, and he pulls out his lighter and starts waiving it in Chato's face. "Right. Yeah. Hey. Well. look at here. It's fire."

"Cut the crap Digger." I say as I push past them. "Let's go." I know he doesn't play well with others, but I was hoping he wouldn't be quite so antagonistic. We really can't afford to lose anybody else at this point.

I don't get very far before I glance over and see Deadshot falling in step with me on one side and Harley on the other. "So where did you learn to fight like that?" He asks.

I sigh. _Fuck._ I don't want to deal with this, but there is no way to avoid it at this point. "Boarding school." I say flippantly with a chuckle. It wasn't a lie.

Digger, Chato, and Croc all draw in closer as Deadshot's voice gets louder. "Cut the crap Tam. You're holding an awful lot close to your chest and askin' us to follow you blindly." The others are mentally agreeing. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

I stop short and turn towards Deadshot. His assumptions that I am some sick and twisted government fool doing this for my own amusement are unfounded, and I am getting too tired to try and hold my tongue. His thoughts are like daggers, and my anger is rising by the second.

"It's not crap." I seethe, no longer caring to keep up my cover. "Fine, you want to know so badly? You want to hear how I got carted away to a school that was a front for government experiments? You want me to tell you how they cut into my head and played around with it like it was their goddamn personal playground? I was put through more than you can imagine. I was trained through torture, and when I didn't get it right, they would just break me apart further."

The echo of my old self creeps into my mind. _"Show me off like a dog, old men covered in blood, it never touched them but they're drowning in it... so much loss…_ "

I shut my eyes and try and stop the memories from bubbling up. But it's a useless fight. I can feel it… along my skull, along my spine, covering my arms and legs… everywhere they sliced, injected, or broke. My entire body aches thinking about how many times they strapped me to the metal hospital table, how many times they tried to push further and further past my limits.

They are all stunned into silence. Even Digger, who's mind has been a jumble of things up until this point doesn't know what to think.

"Well there you go! We all have fucking scars." I say as I turn and keep walking, trying desperately to hide the tears threatening to spill from my eyes..

Deadshot doesn't say anything… none of them do. But they are all thinking along the same lines.

 _"_ _…It looks like you might be one of us..."_

"Hey wait up!" Harley says a second later. I don't stop, but I do slow to allow her to catch up.

"PTSD." It's not a question, it's her diagnosis. "Aversion to physical touch, reckless behavior, hyper-awareness… all classic symptoms."

I laugh and wipe away the last few tears at the corners of my eyes. "I thought I was getting better."

"Not surprising that you're relapsing. Out here? The triggers? It's understandable." She says sweetly.

I don't say anything, but let her words wash over me. And here I thought she was the crazy one. Maybe we're all just crazy.

"I'm gonna hug you now, FYI." She says a moment before she grabs me into another bear hug. I tense, but slowly let myself relax. She pulls away after a moment and tugs on my arm. "Come on! I know what you need, Doctor's orders."

I feel too numb to even try and figure out what she is talking about, but let her pull me along the street. We get up near Flag and Alpha team when she takes her bat and swings it into one of the store windows. The glass shatters under the force of her swing and it catches everyone off guard.

"Seriously? What the hell is wrong with you people?" Flag yells as he and the rest of the team all turn with their weapons drawn.

But Harley pays him no mind as she plucks two designer bags, one multi-colored for her and a black one for me, out of the window. "We're bad guys. It's what we do." She says as she tosses one of the bags to me. "Besides, we needed some retail therapy."

Flag looks at me with shock written all over his face, but I just shrug. Fuck it, Harley was right. "Doctor's orders." I say as I sling the bag over my shoulder.

"You are a bad influence on her." Flag says as he points at Harley.

"Whatever you say Colonel Tight-pants!" Harley says as she brushes Flag off.

Her words jolt my awareness into overdrive. She wouldn't and couldn't have known what that would mean to me. But it's the little things that matter, and the next thing I know, I am wrapping my arms around the psychotic Doc. She's surprised, but returns the hug in earnest after a second.

"Flag, make them stop. They're kinda creepy when they are like that." GQ says jokingly.

I peak my head out of the hug and stick my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, you are definitely a bad influence on her… Move out." Flag says as he directs everyone to keep moving.

I break away from Harley and smile at her. "Thanks Doc." I say before I turn and continue walking ahead of the squad.

XXX

Harley smiles as River walks ahead of the squad. But her smile turns into a frown before she turns and faces Deadshot and Boomerang.

"You!" She says as she points at Deadshot. The look on their face tells him to tread carefully.

The two men share a look of confusion between them. "I ain't done shit." Deadshot says defensively.

"Oh yes you have, and you are going to knock it off. You hear me? She's going through enough, and your behavior isn't going to help."

Deadshot has an inkling of what Harley is talking about and groans. "How the hell did you expect me to know what she'd been through."

"I didn't… known of us could have. But now we have an idea. So cut her some slack and try and play nice."

Boomerang snickers. "That's rich, coming from you Harley." But he immediately regrets saying it as Harley's fury becomes apparent on her face.

"Don't even start! You are way worse with what you have been up to."

"I haven't been up to anything!" Boomerang protests.

"Oh yes, you have! You like her, and don't try and deny it because you are making it very fuckin' obvious." Harley cuts Boomerang off before he can try and deny it. "But she's going to have trouble with that. So if you like her, you are going to listen to what I have to say, and keep your mouth shut while I say it."

Boomerang wisely doesn't say anything, but Deadshot does. "You're on your own for this one." He says as he extricates himself from the conversation. Chato and Croc wisely move to leave with Deadshot.

"So how should I go about this then, Harl?" Boomerang says as he waits for her to lecture him.

Harley softens. "You're gonna to need to be patient Digger. I know that ain't your strong suit, but let her set the pace of things. If you push her to talk or do things, it's not gonna work in your favor."

"So what, you want me to be the 'perfect gentleman'." Boomerang says with air quotes.

"You will figure it out." Harley says as she turns and walks away.

XXX

River's POV

The next twenty minutes pass in silence, thankfully, and by the time we make it HVT-1's location I am calm enough to compose myself again. We're still going to likely have to deal with more Reavers, at least this time I know to expect them.

"Take a knee." Flag commands as Alpha team and Katana gather around.

"Our body's at the top of that building. We get up there ... Pull them out of the vault they're hiding in. Helos extract them off the roof."

"Check." Alpha team responds in sync.

Flag turns to me next. "Tam, you want to get that chopper ready?"

I give him a small salute and reply quickly. "Roger."

I hear Deadshot walking up behind us now, not bothering to stop where Alpha team is getting their instructions. "What do say we get this over with?" He says as he walks past all of us and up to the front door.

"What the hell? Deadshot. Fall back." Flag says as he scrambles after him.

As Deadshot reaches the door and touches the handle, the entire glass door shatters and creates a loud clattering commotion.

"Well, if they didn't know we are here yet, they sure as shit do now." I say as I fall in line behind Deadshot and Flag.

The entire atrium of the building is deserted, and everyone begins to gather near the front reception area. I look around quickly and notice the power is still on, and that there are elevators nearby. I move over to where Harley is standing and quietly whisper to her. "I need to borrow your phone." I say as I lead her to the elevators.

XXX

"Look like we have a spot of luck, eh? Be a walk in the park. Easy peasy." Boomerang says as he leans against the main reception desk, chuckling to himself.

"Don't make me shoot you." Deadshot replies barely containing his irritation.

There is a moment of silence for an audible ding echoes around the atrium, and everyone's attention snaps to the elevators. It's then that they see River and Harley making faces at the rest of the squad as the elevator rides up.

"Goddamn it! I'm gonna fuckin' kill them." Flag yells. "Go! Go! Go! Go!" He screams as he and everyone else race to the stairs.

"Hey, they had the right idea. I should have went with them!" Boomerang huffs as they make it up the first three flights of stairs.

Deadshot is the only one who says anything. "I will fuckin' shoot you!"

XXX

AN: Okay, so not as evil a cliffhanger this time, right? (Hides behind Croc again, just in case).


	10. Oh good, you aren't dead yet

AN: Alright, it took me a little longer to get this ready, but hey, that's what happens when you come back from vacation, right? Anyways, hope you all enjoy the update!

Chapter 9: Oh good, you aren't dead yet

XXX

River's POV

As soon as I see the others run for the stairs I hold out my hand for Harley's phone. She hands it over, no questions asked. I hit the speed dial that had been pre-programed in and wait for it to connect. It takes a few rings, but he picks up quickly.

 _"_ _Do you have what I want?"_ The Joker almost purrs into the phone.

"Are you in position?" I ask him before I relinquish the phone.

 _"_ _Oh don't you worry your pretty little head kitty cat… we'll be there."_

After hearing this, I hand the phone over to Harley, who eagerly takes it while jumping up and down like a little kid.

"Puddin!" She says excitedly. "I missed you sooo much."

 _"_ _There's my girl…are you enjoying your time with the kitty cat?"_

Harley looks puzzled for a moment before she connects the dots. "You mean Tam? Oh, yes, she and I are havin' all kinds of fun. Digger's here too. He's got a crush on her."

I feel my face flush as she says this. I'm not as much surprised at what Harley said, more of who she told it too.

I try and deny her assessment. "He's a flirt. He doesn't have a crush."

This makes Harley break into hysterics. "Oh I think she's got a little crush too." She says with mirth. This makes me blush even harder.

But before I get the chance to deny it, a Reaver comes smashing into the glass elevator. I quickly pull one of my kerambits and go to work slicing at the monster.

"Gotta go Puddin', see you soon." Harley says as she puts the phone away just as another Reaver comes swinging inside the elevator car. Harley immediately starts bashing it's head into the floor with her bat.

"These things are really getting to be annoying." She says after the head is now a bloody pulp.

XXX

As Flag, Alpha team, and the rest of the squad are making their way up the stairs, almost all of them are out of breath or panting by the time they hit the 19th floor.

"I really… should… have gone… with them." Boomerang says as he pauses to catch his breath.

Unfortunately for Boomerang, Croc is right behind him as he says this, and shoves Boomerang for his idiotic comment. Boomerang stumbles and unceremoniously falls on his ass. Chato and Deadshot can't contain their chuckles as Boomerang quickly picks himself up and dusts his ass off.

"Oi! I was just sayin' is all!" Boomerang tries to say in his defense.

"Save it! We're almost there." Deadshot says as he keeps trudging up the stairs.

Flag is just about to go past the door on the twentieth floor, when the door swings open. Everyone immediately draws their weapon.

It's just Harley though, and everyone glares at her not out of breath state. "Hey, guys! Come on. Let's go." She says as she turns and walks towards where River is sitting on the ground working on her computer.

"Oh good, you aren't dead yet." River says with a smirk as Flag stalks towards her, anger clearly written on his face.

XXX

River's POV

"What the FUCK do you think you were up to, huh?" Flag nearly screams at me as he stops in front of me.

I don't have time for his temper tantrum though and quickly turn my computer towards him. I had managed to hack into the security cameras in the building, and what I show him instantly erases the anger on his face.

"I needed some time to get an idea of what we are walking into." I say as he takes me computer and studies the screen. Each miniature screenshot of the higher floors shows the same thing… Reavers.

"Shit." He says as he hands the computer back. "You figure out a way around them?"

I click a few keys on my keyboard and pull open the schematic for the building. "We may be able to go thru them… here." I say as I zoom in the cameras for the 20th floor. "This floor was being renovated, and the scaffolding outside might allow us to traverse around the Reavers without them knowing."

"So how are we gettin' in there?" Flag says as he motions to the doors behind me.

Since they were doing renovations the electronic locks had been disabled from the lobby and I wouldn't be able to pop the lock via my computer. I quickly close my computer and stuff it back into my backpack before walking over to where Digger stands. As I approach him, he smiles at me and I playfully roll my eyes as my hands start investigating his inner coat pockets.

"If you wanted to touch the goods doll, all you had to do was ask." He says with a chuckle as my hands find what I am looking for.

I fish out the old-school lock picking kit and hand it back to him. "If you wouldn't mind." I say as I motion to the doors behind me.

"Not at all luv." As he walks over to the doors and starts working on the lock.

Flag watches as he goes to work, and the others mill about, hands on their weapons… just in case.

It's then that I feel Croc kind of slide up next to me… sniffing heavily as he does. I turn and give him a questioning glance. "I smell bad?" I ask quietly.

"You smell…different." He responds.

I pick up small thoughts and comparisons from him, but it's still puzzling. "Different?"

"Most people… they smell like a type of meat. The flavors are all a little different, but the smell is similar."

"What do I smell like?" Harley ask inquisitively as she moves to stand by me.

"Rotting steak."

She and I both chuckle. "So is that why you eat people? We're just a more tasty version of steak?" Harley asks.

"I eat people to absorb their power. But you…" Croc says as he looks at me. "You smell like something else. I can't place it."

I laugh. "Just a whole lotta crazy up here," I say as I tap the side of my head. "Trust me, you don't want to try and find out."

Croc laughs. "I like you."

"The feeling is mutual big guy." I say as I knock his shoulder with my fist lightly.

"Got it!" Digger yells from behind me and everyone's attention snaps to the opening doors. Once Alpha team moves in to secure the first corridor, the others quickly follow and Harley doesn't wait for an invitation. Croc on the other hand doesn't move away as fast. He's still trying to place the smell.

"Shall we?" I say as I motion to Croc.

He gives me a small growl that I assume means he's pleased and walks towards the doors. Digger is still waiting near the doors and I try to not giggle as he bends with another flourish to usher me inside.

We are all walking as quietly and quickly as possible. This floor may be clear of Reavers, but something still feels… off.

 _"_ _How come they ain't blowin' us out the air?"_ Jayne's voice echoes in my head and I whip around almost expecting to see him standing next to me. When did he say that? My memory seems fuzzy and I shake my head a little to clear my head.

As we get further onto the floor, both Flag and Deadshot pause and signal everyone to hold. "I don't like this, Flag." Deadshot says as he takes stock of the surroundings.

For once he and Flag are in agreement. "I don't like it either."

Now it's Mal's voice that echoes around me. _"They wanna run us down. The up-close kill."_ Again I try and shake the voices from my head.

"Pussy." Harley taunts Deadshot as he slips his mask on.

"I will knock your ass out. I do not care that you're a girl." He says over his shoulder.

"They want us alive when they eat us." Except that time the voice wasn't in my head. I said it out-loud and everyone is looking at me.

But they don't get the chance to ask what I meant though as dozens of Reavers begin falling through the ceiling. As the first one hits the floor, it becomes a hailstorm of bullets and chaos.

I quickly pull my kerambits and begin slicing and dicing any Reaver that gets near me.

 _"_ _You don't belong... dangerous. Can't be controlled... can't be trusted."_ Enchantress' voice invades my mind and I stumble as a Reaver charges me at full force. I am lashing out at it as best I can, but it's taking all my effort just to hold it off of biting my throat.

But the next minute the Reaver is pulled away from me and Digger's yanking me back to my feet.

"Thanks." I say as I try and catch my breath.

We don't have time to rest though as Deadshot calls out over the melee. "They're after Flag again."

My head immediately snaps to where five or six Reavers are trying to drag Flag off again. He's yelling for them to get off, and shooting at all of them, but not doing much good. I quickly run towards him with Digger hot on my heels. Between the two of us, we quickly make short work of the Reavers with our bladed weapons and yank Flag to his feet.

"Circle up. Circle around him." I scream out over the gunfire. Deadshot, Harley, Croc, Boomerang, and Katana are quick to follow my command.

Flag is trying to push out past us and not too happy when no one will let him pass. "Let me fight!" He yells.

"You die. We die." Deadshot replies calmly as we remain huddled around Flag.

"Everyone move to the scaffolding!" I say as I try and steer us towards our original checkpoint. Alpha team is clearing as many Reavers as they can, but by the time we get to outside towards the scaffolding, we are being rained down upon by gun toting Reavers outside.

"FUCK!" I scream as I duck behind a cement pillar and Alpha team returns fire. None of us can move from our cover, but I can hear Deadshot starting to get up in Chato's face. I look back and see the two getting heated.

"Where you been, homie?"

"This aint my fight!"

"You know what? You dont stand for ain't about shit!" Deadshot says as he pushes Chato's chest.

"Don't touch me, man!"

"Deadshot cut it out!" I yell, but he doesn't hear me.

"Dont touch you? What you gonna do?" Deadshot yells over the gunfire.

"Don't touch me!"

"Im touching you! Im touching you! Do something. Do something!"

Chato is becoming more and more enraged. "Dont touch me! You wanna see something?"

"Yes, I wanna see…"

"You wanna see something?" Chato screams before turning and unleashing a blood curdling scream. Seconds later there are flames shooting from his hands like flamethrowers.

"GET DOWN!" I scream as everyone around me hits the deck. The flames are licking at everyone's backs. The flames do the trick and the Reavers fall from the scaffolding on fire to the street below. Unfortunately, the entire scaffolding is also on fire, meaning my original plan is out the window.

After a minute the flames stop spewing from Chato's hands and he is panting with the last bits of anger burning away from him. I watch as he turns towards Deadshot, who now does hold up his hands in surrender slash apology.

"I was just trying to get you there. Phil Jackson. We good, right?" Deadshot says as he backs away slightly.

I roll my eyes. Men are such boobs. But before I can move to talk to Chato, Harley grabs him in a hug and plants a quick kiss on his cheek. "I knew you'd come through." She say before releasing him from her hold and bouncing over to me to offer a hand up. I take it chuckle a little as Deadshot's last thought filters in my head.

 _"_ _That shit crazy."_

"Tam, you got another plan since your previous one is going up in smoke?" Flag asks as he walks over to where Harley and I are standing.

I can't help but chuckle at his small joke, but I am quick to stifle my chuckles as he glares murderously at me. "Give me a minute." I say as I fish out my laptop and pull the schematics of the building up again. It takes a few minutes, but I find something.

"There is an interior stairwell that accesses the higher levels, we can blow a hole in the concrete supporting wall and access it here." I say as I point to the place on the schematic.

"Alright let's move." Flag says as he trudges ahead.

XXX

River's POV

Luckily, we don't have much more interference from other Reavers as we make our way up the alternative staircase. No one is too happy about having to climb another fifteen flights of stairs, and this time they go much slower. I am in between both groups as I feel Harley stall behind me. I turn and watch as she seems frozen in place, looking over the railing, and I hear small threads of the memories she is experiencing. I motion for the others to go ahead and I wait a minute for Harley.

As I gently place a hand on her arm she draws her pistol on me. "Woah. Relax. Just me." She holsters her pistol quickly when she realizes who it is.

"You ever been in love?" She asks rather plaintively.

I shake my head in the negative. "The upbringing I had… didn't really give me the opportunity."

She looks at me with a sad face and her thoughts are trying to pry into the underlying meaning of what I said. "But you like Digger?"

I nervously laugh. "I don't know what I feel towards Digger."

Harley smiles a little. "He's not a bad guy you know. I mean he's a bit gruff, rude, vulgar, and yeah, granted he's another textbook sociopath, but who isn't these days? He seems to like you too."

Enchantress' voice rears it's ugly head in my mind again. _"He's a weakness. A liability. They all are."_

I try not to think about what the voice says and concentrate on Harley. I nervously rub the back of my head. "We'll see Doc."

XXX

As Alpha team finally reaches the right floor, they quickly exit the stairwell and secure the atrium to where HVT-1 is located. It doesn't take them very long.

"Clear."

"Clear." They repeat as they check behind various pieces of furniture and desks.

"All right, secure the roof. Sweep for shooters so we can bring in our aviation assets." Flag instructs them as River and her team move in.

"Where they goin'?" Deadshot asks quickly as Alpha team moves past him.

"Going to the roof." Flag responds quickly. As Deadshot moves closer to the door to the next room though, Flag stops him. "Wait here. Please. I don't wanna give this dude a heart attack okay?" Flag says as Deadshot stops and appears to concede to the command.

"Aw, He's embarrassed of us." Harley taunts.

River moves to follow Flag, but he quickly stops her too. "Keep them in check, ok?" Flag says quietly.

River glares at Flag, but doesn't fight him on it. She moves towards the windows to look out over the city.

"Hey, Flag. This dude better cure cancer after all of this shit." Deadshot calls towards Flag's retreating form.

XXX

AN: So, everyone happy? Not as much of a cliffhanger this time right? I will try and update soon. ;)


	11. Light it up!

AN: Ok, so full disclosure, updates might not happen as fast for awhile. Monday I start a new job (super excited!), so I am not sure how much time I am going to have for writing during the week yet. But I am very much committed to finishing this story (soon-ish), and it really is kind of writing itself. Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying the ride.

Chapter 10: Light it up!

XXX

Harley watches as Boomerang looks over to where River is standing near the windows. She moves to stand next to him and nudges his arm. Boomerang looks at Harley. She doesn't say anything, but she motions towards where River is standing. He seems to get the hint and walks over.

XXX

"You wouldn't have made it without them." Waller tells Flag nonchalantly as he enters the small control room.

"We got lucky. I don't do luck. I do planning and precision." He says calmly as he moves toward Waller. There are a three low level aides packing up stuff and wiping computers still, but they aren't paying him any attention.

Waller is just about done packing up her things. "Admit it, Rick. I was right." She says as she finishes packing her briefcase.

Flag grits his teeth. Before he had left to the main evac location, he and Waller had been in an intense argument over her staying. She had said the squad could handle getting her out if she needed it, and he hadn't wanted to risk it. "Yeah, I told you to get on the damn truck. Why'd you stay?" He responds.

That was the problem with both of them working together, they were both damn stubborn. Waller glares at Flag and hands him a file she had been working on. "I was studying your girlfriend. She takes an average person ... A yoga mom, an elderly retiree, and she turns them into a soldier who can take a headshot and still fight. It's an instant army."

"Tam called them Reavers. You may want to ask her about them." Flag volunteers.

This catches Waller's interest and she files it away for later. But she still has more questions for Flag. "But how'd she do it Flag? How'd she game the system with you watching her every move?"

This time, Flag isn't to forthcoming. He squares his jaw and looks Waller dead in the eyes. "I'll accept the consequences."

That's all Waller needs to hear to know something happened. That Flag had fucked up and had failed to report it. "I am your consequence." She says with a minor hint of menace in her tone.

XXX

…Outside…

River's POV

She feels him slide up next to her, but this time he's careful not to touch.

"So…I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say." He admits a little sheepishly.

I smile and glance over at him. "Harley scolded you."

A faint blush creeps in around his mutton chops. "Harley may have _talked_ to me."

I look over where the Doc is hanging out near Chato and Croc, watching Digger and I expectantly. I smile at her and she returns a beaming one of her own. What she's trying to do is sweet, and reminds me a little of Inara. Inara always wanted people to be happy.

I decide to let down my guard a little. "I'm not used to being… so open with people." I admit as I fidget with my hands. "I…when people would try and touch me before… it was never with good intentions."

Digger's mind is rather more focused than usual, and I know he's making an effort to respect boundaries. "How old were ya?" He asks quietly.

I know what he's asking, and he's trying to be delicate. "Twelve."

Anger blooms in Digger's mind and I know he wants to ask other things, more personal things. I decide to to volunteer more information surrounding that before he has to ask. "It wasn't sexual. It was torture, just never like that. They were monsters, but there were at least some things they wouldn't do in the name of science."

He seems to let out a breath and the anger slowly fades from his mind. He turns from the window to face me and I do the same.

"This shits hard fer me. I don't right understand everything you said or what Harley told me, and I don't always do or say the right thing. But I want you to know I ain't like that. I ain't like _them_."

I knew what he meant. He may be a sociopath who doesn't play well with others, but he wasn't going to hurt me. Not like they did at least. I smile at him to take some of the tension away.

"Well, I can always kill you with my brain if you did, so…"

He laughs nervously, not sure if what I said is a joke or a threat. I laugh too.

XXX

The only person who River hadn't been paying attention to before she was distracted by Boomerang, was Deadshot. And when Deadshot saw his opening, he quietly slipped from the atrium into the room Flag had entered. What he saw when he got in there was minutely unbelievable, and damn near comedic.

"You might need to be careful. They think we're rescuing Nelson Mandela." Deadshot says as he walks towards Flag and Boss Lady herself… Amanda Waller.

Flag looks almost a little sheepish as he sees Deadshot walking towards them. Waller doesn't look the slightest bit phased.

"Hey, man I know you can't hear me 'cause you're trapped ... In your temple of soldierly self- righteousness ... But a two- faced dude like you wouldn't survive a second on the street." Deadshot says quietly to Flag as Waller moves towards where the low level aides are finishing up.

But between Waller and Deadshot, Flag is more than a little on edge and takes Deadshot's bait. "Oh, says the guy who shoots people for money."

Deadshot just smirks. "My cards is on the table, man."

Flag's jaw tenses. "It got done. didn't it?"

But before either one of them can say anything else in their verbal sparring match, three gunshots ring out in the room. The three low level aides that had been there are lying on the floor, and the gun in Waller's hand is still smoking.

"Damn. That is just ...A mean lady." As Deadshot just watches Waller walk back towards them as if nothing had happened.

"Yeah. You get used to it." Flag deadpans. He hadn't seen that coming, but it didn't surprise him coming from Waller.

Deadshot chuckles. "And I'm the bad guy? That shits gangsta."

But Waller has little patience for Deadshot's color commentary. "What? They weren't cleared for any of this any of it."

Deadshot holds his hands up and shrugs. "Hey. I'm not judging. I've buried a lot of mistakes, too."

XXX

River's POV

"Croc, Mr. Fire-man, or Deadshot?" Digger asked with a lewd wiggle of his eyebrow. I broke into sputtering laughs when he did this.

Digger had wanted to lighten the mood, so he had started a game of 20 questions. The first few had been relatively benign… favorite food (ice cream)… favorite weapon (my kerambits)… favorite type of music (classical). But the more he asked, the more crude he got. The current question was kill, shag, or marry, and I really didn't want to even think about the choices he was giving me.

"I am not answering that." I said between laughs.

"Oh come on luv, have a bit o fun." He said teasingly.

"Still not answering that."

"Pft, fine." He says with a bit of a sulk. It doesn't take very long for him to think of another question though. "That night at the bar, if you hadn't run away…" He starts asking.

My laughs die down as I hear the question forming on the tip of his tongue.

"What would you have let happen?" He asks with a smirk.

I can feel my face immediately flush red. It was something I had thought about briefly that night when I had walked back to the hotel. In his drunken state he hadn't been hard to read, and even if he had, it wouldn't have been hard to imagine what he was thinking about. The real question was, why hadn't it bothered me as much when Digger thought those things, then when Bruce Wayne or Griggs had similar thoughts?

"I don't know." I answer honestly, because I don't know what I would have allowed to happen.

Digger's smirk widens and turns into a toothy grin that shows his gold tooth. It's the same smile he had that night.

"You looked like a right tasty treat that night, in the black dress…" Digger says as he draws closer. "I kept thinkin' about what you mighta had underneath it."

He's close enough to me I can feel the warmth of his body radiating off of him. I watch as he slowly bring this hand up, hesitates for a brief second so I can see what he's doing, before running a finger gently down the side of my face. "Course' I was more thinkin' about how soft you mighta felt."

As he traces his finger down the side of my face it leaves a scorching mark in its wake, as if his fingers are fire and they are leaving a permanent burn. I'm completely lost in thought memorizing exactly what his touch feels like when Harley's voice breaks me out of my reverie.

"No way." Harley says from behind me.

And just like that, Digger's spell is broken, and my eyes snap to what Harley is so amazed by and my stomach sinks… Waller. The look that Waller is giving me in this moment freezes the warmth I had previously felt from Digger so suddenly it's like being dunked in liquid nitrogen. Because Waller has finally gotten her leverage over me, and she knows it.

I refuse to move away from Digger, that would just give more credence to Waller's leverage. No, instead I stay firmly planted until Flag signals for us to move out.

"Let's go home." Flag says as moves towards the stairs to the roof.

But his words do not have the best effect and before I can intervene, Digger is opening his mouth. "Yeah. let's go home. That sounds good. you guys wanna go home? Or you wanna go back to prison?"

"I'm not going back to prison." Harley says behind me and I can feel the smallest amount of panic begin to rise in me.

"What I'm saying is ...We kill the pair of 'em now before they kill us." Digger continues mouthing off as he moves towards Waller and Flag.

All around me are thoughts of violence and bloodshed, they're like daggers piercing my brain over and over. I am trying to keep up my walls; I don't even realize what I am doing when my hand shoots out and grabs at Digger's arm. "Guys come on." I say before I can keep the words from spilling out. It's the final nail in my coffin so to speak, as Waller realizes it's not just Digger that's her leverage… it's all of them.

Waller holds up an arm as Katana readies herself to intervene if necessary. "I got this." She says in a stern command to Katana to get her to stand down. Katana does, and Waller holds up an identical smart phone to Flag's, complete with detonation app on the screen. "You all made it this far. Don't get high- spirited on me and ruin a good thing." She taunts everyone.

No one makes another move towards her as she walks through the atrium and to the stairs. The threat was received loud and clear. Checkmate, Waller. It's only when the door to the stairway closes behind her that we all unfreeze.

"I like her." Croc says before heading up to the stairs himself. Chato and Deadshot follow behind him, with Flag just behind them.

Harley and Digger move to follow them, but I stand rooted in my spot. Harley soon realizes I am not moving and turns back towards me. "You comin'?"

I don't look at her, but I do respond. "Give me a minute." I say as I look out the window over the city.

I don't need turn around to know they are giving me space. I can feel Harley pulling Digger to the stairs with her, and it's only when I hear the door open and close behind them that I let out a groan of frustration. I had worked so hard to keep that woman from sinking her talons into me like a piece of flesh, and now? Now she finally had found the right place to dig in.

 _"_ _You're weak."_ Enchantress's voice bounces around my head. _"They make you weak."_

I screw my eyes shut and try and block her out. "Can't you just leave me alone." I say through my clenched teeth.

 _"_ _You could be so much more… I could make you so much more."_

I open my eyes and immediately draw my pistol. Just like the first time I saw her, Enchantress's reflection is in front of me in the window. "Go to hell." I spit at her as I let loose a few rounds into her reflection. After a few rounds, I blink a few times and she's no longer there, but her cackle still echoes around me. I don't say anything else as I holster my gun and head to the roof.

XXX

River's POV

A few minutes later I make it to the roof and everyone seems to be milling about. Alpha team is around the perimeter of the roof, securing it and simultaneously on the lookout for transport. But the fact that air transport isn't here yet is odd, as they should have been here by now.

I stride over to where Flag and GQ are standing. Waller isn't too far away, but the rest of the squad is keeping some distance from her.

"Didn't you take care of evac?" Flag asks me as I stop next to him.

"I did. They should have been here by now." I say as I look out over the city.

"Boss!" One of the guys from Alpha team calls out. "Incoming."

"Savior one- zero, this is Ground Element. Savior one- zero, how copy?" Flag calls out on his radio, but he's met with silence.

I walk towards the approaching helicopter, and each step I take brings an icy chill to my skin. I look back towards Flag, who still is trying to hail them on the radio. "Savior one- zero, the LZ's clear…. They're not talking to me."

But when I turn back around I am face to face with a Reaver trying to slice my throat. I scream and fall back to avoid the blade, but when I look up… the Reaver is gone.

"Tam?" GQ says as he rushes to my side and helps me stand up.

It all makes sense to me now. _She_ wanted to distract me. As if on cue, the incoming helicopter begins to fire at us. "That's not our transport! It's Reavers, light it up!" I yell out over the approaching gunfire as I unholster my pistol and take cover.

The others are quick to follow suit. "You heard her! Light it up!" GQ yells as he and everyone else on the roof begin to fire at the helicopter. "FUCK! How'd they learn to fly a fuckin' chopper."

I am not sure how she managed it, but that fuckin' witch had managed to get her Reavers a military chopper. If our ride didn't show up soon, we were going to be in some serious trouble.

"We're running out of bullets here!" Someone from Alpha team yells out.

Fuck. Where was Boomerang? I peak my head out from my cover to try and see where she is. He's ducked behind a nearby air vent with Deadshot.

"Digger!" I scream over the gunfire.

He manages to hear me and looks in my direction. "You have any of your special boomerangs?" He smirks at my question and fishes into his coat and produces a thicker boomerang than his bladed one.

"Thought you'd never ask luv!" He says as he throws it towards the chopper. It's a direct hit and the aft motor goes up in flames as the boomerang explodes against it. The chopper's blades begin to buckle and stutter, and pretty soon it begins to fall into one of the nearby buildings in a fiery blaze.

Everyone seems to breath a collective sigh of relief and begin to stand up as they watch it crash, but the relief is short lived as another chopper seems to come around the corner of the nearby buildings firing at us again.

Again, everyone dives behind their cover.

"We're sitting ducks up here!" Deadshot yells from behind me.

"Just keep shooting! We can't let them land on the roof." Flag yells.

As the amount of gunfire we are able to send towards the chopper begins to dwindle, I notice another chopper closing in from a distance. Except this time, the icy chills aren't running down my spine. I watch as the incoming chopper seems to stop short of the roof, and before I realize what's happened, someone from the other chopper has fired a rocket-launcher at the other helicopter. Once again, everyone watches as the metal beast explodes and crashes in a fiery mass of twisted metal.

"There they are!" I say as I fish into my backpack and produce a flare. I light it, and walk into the middle of the roof to signal the helicopter. As it gets closer, it becomes evident that it's not what Flag, Waller, Alpha team, or the squad was expecting… because there are white HaHAhAs spray painted all over the chopper.

As it lands, the Joker, impeccable dressed in a a full suit with tails and holding a rocket launcher, jumps out of the open doors.

"PUDDIN!" Harley screams as she runs towards the Joker. He opens his arms and embraces the petite ball of mayhem. "Puddin'! You got all dressed up for me?" As she plants kisses all over his face.

"You know I'd do anything for you." He says before releasing her and walking towards where I am standing.

"Nice of you to show up!" I say over the whir of the chopper's engines.

"Fashionably late kitty-cat. Nothin' less for you." He says as he gently knocks under my chin.

"You want to explain what the HELL he's doing here!" Waller yells as she moves towards me.

I turn and give her the most smug look I can muster. "He's your ride!"

XXX

AN: Ok, so the movie underutilized the Joker. We all know this. Hopefully this makes up for it! I will try and update soon, so try to not kill me over the cliffhanger (Hides behind the rocket wielding Joker).


	12. Just remember what you are

AN: Ok, so this chapter took way longer to get out than I ever thought possible. I am really sorry it has taken me this long to update. Anyways, hope you guys like this update. I'm curious to see if anyone can pick up on some of the Batman references in here by the way.

Chapter 11: Just remember what you are

XXX

River's POV

Most people express anger loudly. They yell, they scream, the make demands. Flag is a textbook example of this anger right now. I can vaguely hear various words mixed in between the high pitched yells he's hurling my way, but nothing registers of any importance. No, my attention was fixed on something else.

The face of Amanda Waller.

Waller was the master of keeping her cards close to her chest. You'd never know what hit you until it was done.

And now? Standing on the roof of this building, with the Joker, Flag, and this whole crazy bunch? Waller never faltered. She never lost her cool. All she gave me was a singular raised eyebrow.

That eyebrow was enough to convey her thoughts. Enough to pierce through the din of all the other voices swirling around me. That eyebrow screamed just as loudly at me as Flag did.

"Situation averted and transport arranged." I said matter of factly.

"Have you lost your goddamned mind?" Flag questions as he moves towards me.

Again, I can't help but think how textbook he is and I have to bite my lip to suppress a small giggle.

The look I must give him as I surprise that giggle seems to infuriate him further. "Oh this is funny to you, Tam?" He yells in my face.

"Subjective. As for your previous question, did I have a mind to lose? I think that point was always up for debate."

The Joker's guffaw and slow clap seemed to pull everyone out of their stupor. "Oh kitty-cat, you're just so so entertaining."

XXX

Amanda Waller eyebrow remains raised as she continues to eye Tam. The girl had proved herself capable, proved to be worth the risk and investment that she had put into her. But standing on this roof, Waller can't help but call the girl's judgment into question.

"Flag!" Waller barks at her first in command. It's just loud enough to get him to stop screaming in Tam's face to turn and face her.

"Ma'am, you can't…" But Waller cuts him off before he can finish.

"I want to hear this from _her_." She says as she nods to Tam in front of her.

"Yes, let'sss hear what the kitty-cat has to say…" Joker all put purrs as he sidles up beside them with a smile on his face.

Flag instantly pulls his sidearm on the man, and the echo of guns being pulled and cocked around the roof is heard all around. It doesn't take a psychic assassin to know everyone is on a hair trigger.

Waller watches with amusement as Tam merely pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Care to explain then?" Waller says with another arch of her brow. It wasn't a question, and Tam knew it.

XXX

River's POV

I release a sigh and will the voices bouncing around in my head to dissipate. It takes a moment before I can clear enough of the voices out to answer. "Albert Anastasia." I say to a captivated audience.

While a majority of people on the roof are more confused by the name I give, it registers with three of them. Three different trains of thought then begin to penetrate my mental barriers again.

The first is from Waller. There is no arch of an eyebrow from her this time, but there is a twitch of a grin momentarily on her lips.

The next is from the Joker, who's mind somersaults with glee. "Oh kitty, you are so deliciousss."

But now the Joker's voice seems to break Flag's trance. "Who the hell is Albert Anastasia?" Flag questions.

The third mind that registers the name speaks up from behind me. "Murder Inc." I turn and watch as Deadshot walks closer to where the we are standing. "He was an associate of Lucky Luciano who ran the eastern shipping ports in World War II - guaranteed no dockworker strikes throughout the war."

It's then that realization hits Flag. "Jezzus Christ TAM!"

I roll my eyes. His temper tantrums are so… predictable.

"Repetition is irksome. Situation averted and transport arranged." I repeat myself.

But before Flag can begin to try and jump down my throat again Waller intervenes. "At what cost?"

I grimace. I know she isn't going to like this part. "Similar terms. Your safety will be guaranteed and so will his."

The Joker seems to spring to life hearing this and bounces around us getting particularly close to Waller. "We're going to be such good friends."

Waller's irritation radiates off her in waves, and I am quick to step in and try and wrap this up. "Harley and GQ will accompany you…"

But before I can continue Waller cuts me off with a stern "No."

I blink is disbelief. She may have her doubts, but she had never rejected one of my plans out of turn so hastily.

"You're putting me on a helicopter with Gotham's Clown Prince and his Queen and expect nothing to happen to my safety?"

"What's the matter, don't trust us?" Harley questions in her sing song voice as she moves to stand next to her King. "Not good enough to guard ya?"

"Now now, Harley." The Joker playfully scolds her as he throws an arm around her waist. "Wouldn't want to give our new friend the wrong idea."

"Fuck it. I'll go with them, GQ can take command of Alpha." Flag interjects.

"Flag, that's not your decision to make." Waller responds.

"And letting you go of with the freak show and GQ is hers?" Flag says as he motions to me and GQ behind his shoulder.

It's then that I feel the Joker's attention shift, and a pang of realization cut into his mind as a smile spreads on his painted lips.

 _Shit._ I'm not going to be able to stop this. _Shit._

"GQ… interesting new nickname kiddo." The Joker says as he walks towards the Navy Seal. "Nice to see you out of that awful red suit though."

Everyone's attention is shifting, and Harley is soon to follow the Joker's lead. "Awww… now I see it! It's been years little birdie." She says as she bounds over and give him a side hug.

GQ looks over at me like he is ready to murder them on the spot. He knows he won't be able to keep his cover. Not when these two recognized him. I send him an apologetic look as everyone else begins to question what the hell they are talking about.

"Someone care to share with the rest of the class?" Digger says before taking a swig from another can of beer he seems to pull out of more hidden pockets in his jacket.

Flag's irritation begins to prickle on the back of my neck and Waller's curiosity is piqued.

"Tam, what are these freaks going on about?" Flag asks.

The Joker laughs loudly now while seeming to mimic Harley's sing song voice. "Oh? Didn't you know! Seems a little birdie found a new home… Didn't you Robin?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose again as the sea of thoughts flood into my brain again.

XXX

"Lieutenant Edwards?" Waller asks aloud for confirmation.

"It's true." He says as he grimaces and glares at the Joker.

"You've got to be shitting me." Deadshot lets loose.

Digger seems a little impressed. "Really? Pretty boy?"

Croc just lets loose a laugh that rivals Joker and Harley's laughs.

"Interesting." Waller remarks. "Explain."

"He did shoot me. Like it was reported." GQ says as he motions with his gun towards the Joker, a tiny bit of a sneer on his face. "But he only hit my shoulder."

The pieces aren't adding up for Waller. She prided herself on knowing everything of consequence and this had been a huge oversight. "Then why was your death reported?" Waller asks.

She isn't the only one who wants to know more. The wheels in Deadshot's mind are clicking through, trying to figure it all out.

GQ doesn't hold back his sneer now. "Wasn't by choice."

Joker's laugh is finally starting to die down and he focuses on GQ. "Aww did you and Batsy have a falling out?"

"We didn't see eye to eye on a few things." GQ replies curtly.

"Awww, poor Robin." Joker says as he meanders around. "Now if you don't mind… I'd like to get this show on the road.

There's more yelling and arguing now. Between Waller and Flag… Joker and Waller… Harley and GQ… Digger and Chato… everyone seems to erupt. But what startles them all is the sound of a gunshot ringing out into the air. The arguments die down, and they all focus on the small woman holding the smoking gun.

XXX

River's POV

I couldn't hear…couldn't concentrate. Their voices bash into and around my brain violently I feel like I'm on Serenity crashing all over again… but that's not right… Serenity never crashed… did it?

They're quite now, and I am puzzled as to what caused everything to go quiet. It's only when the smell of gunpowder reaches my nostrils that I look in my hand and see the barrel of my gun still smoking from being discharged that I realize it was me.

 _"It's just an object…it doesn't mean what you think."_ My own disembodies voice echoes in my head. But it's not my voice, because there is the distinct cackle of Enchantress just behind those whispered words.

I quickly holster my pistol and step towards Waller. I need to get her off this roof… and get back to what needs to be done.

"You brought me here to do a job, you trained me to do a job… so let me do my job."

Waller's eyes never leave mine, and she doesn't say anything out loud. But I can hear her running all the various situations through her head, and she knows I can hear them. She's showing me everything that can go wrong… for me… and for them. Everything that she is capable of doing should it prove 'useful' to keep me in line. But I never look away from her. I refuse to let her cow me into submission.

"Just remember what you are… and who you belong to." She says as she walks past me and towards the helicopter.

I release my breath as she takes the somewhat chivalrous hand Johnny Frost extends her as he slides the door open for her to climb inside.

"Harley, Mr. J." I say as I nod my head towards them.

"Stay safe kitty cat." Joker says as he returns the gesture.

Harley bounds over to me and gives me a quick hug. "You finish this up and we can have more girl talk." She say as she releases me, skips back over to the Joker and walks with him back towards the waiting helicopter.

"Flag?" I ask as I glance in his direction. I am met with a stern glare from Flag. Flag is GQ's commanding officer, so it's his call if he goes with them.

"GQ radio me when you hit the evac zone." He responds while still glaring at me.

"Sir." GQ responds while looking over his shoulder at me as he walks away. He gives me a small wink and I give him another apologetic smile.

"Thank you." I say quietly as I watch him mount up and the helicopter lift off the roof.

XXX

…Inside the helicopter…

The Joker, Waller, and GQ sit in silence for a few moments as the helicopter takes off the roof and begins its flight out of the city. Harley flitting around the back of the helicopter, looking out the windows at the swirling lights some more. But noise of the motors whirring is soon broken by the slow laugh of the Joker.

Amanda Waller rolls her eyes, and refuses to rise to the Joker's bait. But he doesn't seem content on letting her be.

"You know it's funny… seems like you're having an awful bad day… And all it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest person alive to lunacy."

Waller smiles. Amused at what she perceives as a flaw in his logic. "It takes more than a bad day."

"Oh I don't know about that…we all have our days…that just drive us a little insane… Take the little birdie here." He says as he motions towards GQ. "You had a bad day once. Am I right? I know I am." He says as he's laugh fades into a toothy smile.

Waller shoots GQ a look of silent questioning that he fails to pick up on.

"I'm not insane Joker, that's your department."

And this is the rise that the Joker wanted. The open door he was now going to waltz right thru. "See that's where you're wrong, little Robin. You had a bad day, and it drove you as crazy as everybody else... only you won't admit it! You have to keep pretending that life makes sense, that there's some point to all the struggling!" He says as he falls into another fit of laughter.

"And what made you what you are? What was your bad day?" Waller questions the Joker. "Old girlfriend killed by the mob, maybe? Sister carved up by some mugger?"

The Joker's laughs die down enough for him to respond. "Something like that happened to me. I... I'm not exactly sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha Ha Ha!"

"You're just crazy Joker." GQ replies candidly.

"But that IS my point... I went crazy. When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was, I went crazy as a coot! I admit it! So why can't you? You're not unintelligent, you must see the reality of the situation? Anything anybody ever valued or struggled for, it's all just a monstrous, demented gag. So why can't you see the funny side? Why aren't you laughing?"

Before Waller or GQ can say anything else and continue on trying to futilely argue with the Clown Price, the chopper begins to violently shake and plummet to towards the ground.

XXX

AN: Again, I hope you all liked this chapter and I will try and update sooner than last time.


	13. I feel like I'm drowning

AN: I'm baaackk! Getting that last update definitely helped push past the writer's block, so we got another update! Hope you guys like this chapter!

Chapter 12: I feel like I'm drowning

XXX

River's POV

Time is tricky…like the rain starting to fall as we stand on the roof. You can put your hand out and try and catch enough to matter, but all you are left with is a few precious drops… a few moments. This was one of those moments. One of those moments that you catch in the palm of your hand. A moment that burns its way into your memory.

The raindrops are like acid on my skin. Each drop leaves a burning trail as Flag's radio crackles to life.

"Mayday…mayday… we're hit." GQ's voice calls out from the scratchy static of the radio.

Those words suck the air out of my lungs as if I was free-falling from the thirty story building we're on.

XXX

 _In the blink of an eye I am no longer on that roof in Midway City… I'm in the galley of Serenity. There is a moment of calm, a moment of perfect silence, before everything come crashing down._

 _Everything begins to spin, tumbling and falling out of cabinets, off of counters, and I am thrown violently against the wall. The G-force keeps me pinned their until something seems to kick in and I feel the ship right itself._

 _My body slumps to the floor and I quickly scramble out of the galley and towards the center of the common area. I don't have long before I feel the next earth shattering crash of the ship. It hits the ground hard, and I nearly bounce to the ceiling from the impact. I can feel the ship continue to skid across the ground until it seems to crash into something and teeter before finally coming to a stop. My body aches, but I will myself to try and pick myself up. It takes a moment, but I gather my strength._

 _But when I do, it's as if I have been plunged into icy water. There they were… Inara, Book, Simon, Kaylee, and Jayne… all strapped into the emergency harnesses. All dead._

 _Enchantress' unmistakable cackle rings in my ears._

XXX

I force myself out of the delusion and open my eyes. I am back on the roof. Back in this reality. Or was this the dream? It's getting harder to keep it all straight. It all feels so real.

Flag quickly issues orders. I vaguely hear him thru my mental haze. The other's wait a moment before they follow him off the roof. I don't say anything. I allow myself to get lost in the sea of voices and bodies that catch me in their current and carry me away. For once, I want to block out the sounds of my own thoughts with everyone else.

XXX

Harley Quinn doesn't know exactly what happened. One minute she was looking out the side door of the helicopter, the next she felt her body hurdling down towards the hard earth below her. She tried to grasp for metal landing skids as her body fell threw the door, but her grasp couldn't hold on.

She had managed to semi-right herself and when she sees the roof of the building underneath her, she tucks into a gymnastic roll to lessen the impact of the fall. It works, and she manages to tumble a few times before coming up into a run. She dashes to the edge of the building and looks on in horror as the burning helicopter struggles to stay flying.

She knew a crash was inevitable and it feels like her heart breaks into a million pieces as she watches the fiery wreck disappear behind the buildings. She quickly turns and looks for the stairs to get off the roof, hoping she can meet up with the others on the way to crash site.

XXX

When the helicopter hit the street, it had sent everyone tumbling from their seats. The impact had been had enough that the fuselage had shredded and twisted into a mess of sharp metal. It had screeched across the asphalt for a few moments before ramming into a few parked cars in the side of the street.

GQ groans as he pushes some of the debris off his body and tries to stand. He nearly doubles over in pain as he tries to put weight on his left leg. He steadies himself against the side and looks around the cabin. He can hear Waller's soft groans and see's Joker's man Frost somehow climb out of the cockpit.

"Ma'am?" GQ calls out to Waller.

"I'm okay." She says from behind some broken pieces of the helicopter.

Frost calls suit. "Boss?" The Joker doesn't make any noise and GQ can see a flash of panic on Frost's face as he shuffles closer to GQ. "Boss?" Frost calls out again, but still nothing.

GQ watches as Frost takes in the likelihood of the silence and make a move towards him.

"You ok kid?" Frost asks as he takes in GQ's posture.

"Busted leg."

Frost nods in understanding.

Frost surprisingly helps GQ move closer towards Waller, who is having a hard time disentangling herself from the harness and debris holding her in place.

"Goddammit!" She yells as she tries to move some of the metal debris off her legs, and GQ and Frost are quick to try and do the same. But the trio don't get very far into their task before the sound of booming footsteps and inhuman hissing can be heard getting closer.

"Fuck." GQ says as he draws his side arm and passes it to Waller before going back to trying to free her.

They aren't having any luck though in their state, and Waller knows it. "It's no use." She says as she sets the gun down momentarily beside her and wiggles the case holding Enchantress's heart out and throws it to GQ. "Go."

"Ma'am." GQ tries to argue.

But Waller won't have any of it. "That's an order Lieutenant."

"I can't leave you here!" GQ yells back as the footsteps become louder and Waller fires the sidearm into the head of a Reaver that's ahead of the pack.

"If you don't and the witch gets her heart, we're all dead."

GQ hates to admit it, but he knows she's right. "I'm not getting far on this leg." He says reluctantly.

"Come on kid." Frost says as he takes GQ's arm over his shoulder and helps take some of the weight off his bad leg. It takes a minute for Frost and GQ to step out of the carnage of the helicopter, but once they do they begin to pick up the pace away from the the approaching hoard of Reavers.

GQ steals a glance behind him and hope Waller saves at least one of those bullets if she needs it.

XXX

River's POV

By the time we hit the ground level I have managed to pull myself somewhat together. Their minds had been a cacophony, but it was enough to ground myself in the moment. To hold on to something here and now, instead of letting _her_ push delusions into my brain.

As we exit the building everyone's thoughts focus on one particular point of interest… Harley sitting on a nearby car hood.

"Hey, guys I'm back! I missed you all so much!" She says with a smile plastered on her face.

But I can see the worry behind the smile.

"We're glad you could make it." Deadshot says as he walks towards her and helps her off the car.

We all fall into line and walk towards the direction of the helicopter's path. The remainder of Alpha team and Flag are on high alert, and I can feel pinpricks of worry from the others too.

"Any idea what hit you guys?" Flag asks we continue to walk along the street.

Harley shakes her head. "One minute I'm looking at the swirling lights, and the next thing I know I'm falling outta the chopper."

But I knew what had happened… could feel the energy pulsing in the air. I also knew Flag would wait until he wasn't overheard to ask me.

I pick up my pace a little so I am not so close to Deadshot and Boomerang as Flag's steps slow slightly to meet me in the middle.

"Tam?" He asks quietly.

"It was him." I respond under my breath.

"Who?"

I give Flag a pointed look and he gets the picture. He can't quiet the curse that flows from his mouth. "Shit!"

XXX

As the horde of Reavers swarm around her, Waller faintly hears the Joker groaning from somewhere behind her. But before she can say anything to him, the mangled door is ripped off it's hinges and there stands Incubus with dozens of Reavers at his command.

His eye's narrow at Waller as he looks around for the container holding his sister's heart. "No matter… _she_ will come." He says as he steps back and allows the Reavers to begin pulling Waller from the wreckage.

"Bring her…and him… to my sister." Incubus instructs the Reavers as he points to Waller and Joker.

They drag them along the street towards the train station and once again Waller hears the Joker chuckling.

"Having a bad day yet?" He asks Waller.

But she is not in the mood for his antics. "Go fuck yourself."

XXX

River's POV

They're a few blocks away from the crash when she sees them. Two figures limping along in the shadows.

"GQ!" Flag yells as everyone heads in their direction.

I watch as Frost helps lean GQ against a nearby building and pick up on the amount of pain he's in. I rush over and take off my backpack so I can fish thru it more easily for the minimal med supplies I carry on me.

"Nice to see you in one piece." I say as I tentatively touch his leg to access the damage.

He winces when I get a few inches above his knee. "I've seen worse."

I turn to my bag and fish out the duct tape and bandages I look for something to use as a brace on GQ's leg.

"What happened?" Flag asks from behind me as I get to work bracing his leg.

"Dunno. We got hit by something… killed all power and next thing I know we're crashing."

"Your boss lady gave us this and told us to get lost." Frost says as he hands Flag the case he had been carrying.

"Where's Mr. J?" Harley asks Frost.

"I dunno. We had a horde of those things closing in on us and that broad was pretty insistent we get that outta there. Said we'd all die if that witch got her heart."

I freeze. Shit. They didn't know… and there would be no way to keep it from them now.

"Thought you said it was terrorists." Deadshot replies cooly.

I turn and stand to face the group, preparing for what I know is coming.

"You all been playin' it awfully close to the vest with this shit. First all the hero code bullshit… I think it's time we got some answers."

"Deadshot…" Flag starts to say something but it quickly cut off by Deadshot.

"Save it errand boy. I want to hear it from her." He says as he points at me. There is a chorus of echoes behind him and a growl from Croc. Even Harley is looking at me expectantly for answers.

Shit.

I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Hoping to spare them the ugly truth of it all. How all this worked, what the real mission was. But it doesn't look like I can avoid it. Their minds and words are pressing into me and I feel like I am going to be sick.

Apparently I don't answer quick enough for Deadshot, as he quickly leans down and swipes my open backpack. "Alright, let's see what answers we get in here." He says as he pulls out the files I had stored in there.

Shit. Shit. Shit. My hands are shaking from trying to hold it together… trying to hold my walls together and keep their emotions at bay.

"Deadshot stop." I say as I move forward to try and grab the files from him.

He quickly twists away from my grasp as Croc and Harley step in front of Flag and Katana while Boomerang and Chato step in front of the rest of the Alpha squad.

I feel it when he gets to the most important part. Feel his mind slide over the words in my files. He turns and faces me… horror and realization marking his face. He throws the files in my direction.

"You tell everybody everything. Or me and you gonna go right now." He says with seething anger.

I close my eyes and hold my temples with both hands. It's so loud. Their voices are so loud. I feel like I'm drowning.

Enchantress cackles. _"You keep dreaming and dark scheming…You're a poison and I know that is the truth. All your friends think you're vicious…And they say you're suspicious."_

I shake my head violently and hold my hands over my ears to try and get her voice out of my head. But it's too much. After everything we've gone through in the last 24 hours… it's finally just too much.

"She's drowning…You're holding her down and killing me slow." I say as I turn and stumble towards the nearest building.

I can feel them following me. Feel the angry glares and suspicion. Feel their accusatory glares like daggers in my back. Oh just wait until they really know… it's only going to get much worse.

I push through the doors and nearly collapse at the bar of the cafe I stumbled into. "It's twisted…it's all twisted." I say as a I bury my head in my hands and shut my eyes tight even though it will do no good.

When Deadshot comes over and rather forcefully sits me upright the tears begin to fall. Everyone's crowding into the bar now and I laugh in all their faces.

"You want to know? Want to know what a fucked up terrible, very-bad, no good day this is? Why we're here? It's because Flag's lady friend…that fuckin' witch… decided to unleash something. And when they sent her and Flag to fix it, she bolted." I continue to laugh as he takes a step back and considers what I'm saying.

My laughs continue to echo around the silence of the room. "We're the fuckin' clean up crew…" I say as I practically dissolve into a fit of laughter.

But Deadshot's not done. Oh no, he wants all the cake he can have and eat too. He take a step forward and tries to shake me to stop my laughing. "What's the top secret weapon we're transporting. What's Weapon X?"

I throw his hand off of me and try and move away. But all I do is collapse onto the floor, a mixture of laughs, sobs, and tears.

"The girl…me… she's the weapon."

XXX

AN: FYI, some of Enchantress and River's dialogue is from the song I feel like I'm drowning by Two Feet. Highly recommend checking it out for some mood music for this chapter, and I will try and update soon!


	14. Blasphemy

AN: Okay. This took a lot longer to perfect than I hoped. But this update is FINALLY done, and I made it longer than I originally intended because I didn't want to deprive you all.

For those still following this story, I hope you enjoy this update. I had a vision of where I wanted this chapter to take us, and it gives me all the feels reading it.

Chapter 13: Blasphemy

XXX

River's POV

I'm trying.

I'm trying so hard to hold them in. Hold the pieces together. It's like a seam ripping apart… threadbare…no longer able take the strain. Maybe this is what _she_ wanted to happen…

 _"You're not blessed, you're cursed…And it's getting worse now."_

It feels like my ear drums will bleed with how loud everything sounds inside my head. So many angry voice, so many questions, so much denial.

My eyes clamp shut, but the laughing still plays on my lips. I vaguely feel someone pulling at me from multiple directions. I am a rag doll… something to be tossed around as others pleased. No one caring for what I wanted.

 _"It makes no sense but it must right."_

Seeing, but not wanting to see. They don't understand… they don't comprehend.

 _"We hear no voice when we pray at night."_

Tears are still streaming down my face. They sting like daggers and I screw my eyes tighter to try and stem the pain. But I can feel it bubbling up inside of me. I vaguely hear my laugh twisting into something more than laughter. Something more like madness.

 _"'Cause you got hell to pay but you already sold your soul."_

It's like something deep-seated takes control. Something that was buried so deep I didn't even know it was there.

 _"…it's too late to turn back."_

Nothing seems real anymore. It's all a piece of fiction, and _she's_ writing every word. We're all her characters, all her players. Here to do her bidding. She wants a world of silence… she wants us to all lay down and die.

 _"Please… make me a stone."_

She wants me to do it. I can feel it. It's as if she's put back what they tried to leave inside of me. The secrets just waiting underneath my skin. Waiting to take control. Clawing and gnawing away at me. Ripping me to shreds. A million nails and teeth trying to devour every last inch of my being.

 _"…Miranda…"_

XXX

They didn't know what happened. One minute they had watched the girl in front of them devolve into a fit of hysterics. Crying, laughing, covering her ears and mumbling nonsense. It only got worse when Deadshot yanked her to her feet. More crying, more laughing.

Harley, Boomerang, and Flag had tried to help. Tried to pull her and the angry assassin demanding answers apart.

"Can't you see she's traumatized!" Harley had screamed.

They had almost got her away from Deadshot when it changed. When the crying girl went silent.

But it wasn't just her, it was everything. Time had stood still for the briefest of moments before everything snapped back into place, and the next thing they knew instead of wrenching her away, they were scrambling to get away.

The look in her eyes was vacant, dead. It was like a flip had switched and no one was home. It didn't matter who called out to her, everyone in the room had become a threat, something to beat to a bloody pulp.

XXX

River's POV

I'm not there. Well, at least not _that_ there. I was back, back where I started.

It's a dream, walking down those stairs into that all too familiar bar. The sounds, the smells, the sights. Nothing had changed. The dancers with the large fans stand poised to hide illicit dealings from the cameras, the patrons drink and itch for a fight. But there were only koshered rules here.

"We've never been but a way station to those two…"

My heart sinks as I hear his unmistakable voice. I turn and watch as they descend into the bar. The wary and grouchy old Captain, the girl made of sunshine, the faithful first mate, the best pilot in the verse, and a somewhat trusty gunhand. Just as I remember them. In all their imperfect perfection…The family I left behind.

A whisper creeps through my lips. "It's not fair."

Not fair that she keeps reminding me of what she tore me away from. I've become a ghost. A figment of long forgotten dream. I ache for them to remember, for me to remember them in all their imperfect detail…before she rips me away from them again. I start to walk closer to them when I hear it… that all too familiar sound.

It's what they used to make me sleep. What they would sing to me to mold me into what they wanted. Hidden… buried deep under layers of innocuous and annoying banter.

 _"Fruity oaty bar…"_ The blue cartoons sing.

And it comes flooding back in a tidal wave of memory. Everything they did. Everything they caused. The lives they took and played with for their own sick pleasure. The one's who laid down and died because they had no will left to live. And the monsters they created… Reavers.

"Miranda."

It had all been hidden on Miranda. Meant to stay quiet. Stay buried. A planet of a thousand corpses. All they ever did was meddle… All _she_ ever did was meddle….

"It's not fair!" I scream as I bold my hands over my ears and try and drown out the triggers buried deep in that song. But I am too late. I feel the rage bubbling up from those dark recesses.

Rage at the secrets they forced me to bare, forced into my brain without a second thought. Rage at _her_ for bringing up what I thought I had left behind. Rage at being toyed with like her gorram personal puppet.

Enchantress's cackle echoes around me as my rage burns into me. _"Bend the knee and give away your life. Bite your tongue and close your mind. They'll never know."_

I seethe and scream at her in my head, but her cackle only grows louder.

 _"Don't try to tell me that you still believe."_

I steel my resolve. There's only one way out of this. "I more than believe."

And all at once everything becomes cacophonous. Wood splintering, glass shattering, men shouting… All the figments…all her projections of what that bar would have looked like in another life are vacant and emotionless zombies hell bent on tearing me limb from limb.

I grit my teeth. "Not today." And I let go. I let myself feel the rage within me… channel it, and now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. A whirling dervish of high kicks, pirouettes, jabs, uppercuts.

I feel a much bigger body come up behind me and wrap their arms around me, pinning my arms downward. I hear a vaguely familiar voice, but I know it's just her fucked up fantasy. I quickly side step and grab and twist the sensitive area between the man's legs until I feel his grip loosen around me. Once it does, I grab the nearest tray and smash it into the body's face before I bolt away.

I see a body rushing up the stairs to my right and I quickly lunge for a discarded gun to my left and swing it into the air as I hear the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking.

I swing my arm to meet the assailant head on and I ….freeze. Because even though I know it's a projection, know it's all in my head, it's still hard to try and pull the trigger when I am staring at my brother.

"Simon." I manage to say as my voice cracks.

I watch as his lips move… and I feel the darkness creeping back in behind my eyes.

I hear her voice as my body become heavy and I fall to the floor.

 _"Eta Kooram Nah Smech."_

XXX

Deadshot hesitates to pull the trigger. He didn't kill women and kids. But this girl? He wasn't sure what she was.

He watches as she hesitates to pull the trigger of the gun in her hand. Watches as if something comes over her and her lips move in low whispers. And in the blink of an eye, he watches as she drops like a bag of lead to the floor.

No one moves towards her limp figure. They all stand at the ready, waiting, just in case.

"What the fuck was that?" Deadshot says, pistol still in hand.

XXX

River's POV

The throb in my head intensifies as I feel something cold against my skin. I try and move an arm to cover my eyes from the intense light bleeding through the cracks, but I can't seem to move either arm. I slowly realize why I can't move them… they're handcuffed above my head.

I crane my head backwards and see I'm chained to sink plumbing in a bathroom. But for the life of me I can't remember why I'm here. I pull on the cuffs testing the pipe they are around.

"Won't do you no good." A voice to my right rumbles with a low chuckle.

My head and neck are throbbing, but I glance in his direction.

"I checked'um myself before we cuffed ya to them." Digger says with a smirk, clearly amused with the situation. He's perched on the restroom counter, sporting a fresh bloody nose and holding what appears to be ice in front of his pants.

It doesn't take long for my brain to capture flashes of what happened from Digger's head and I wince at his thoughts as I piece everything together. It wasn't just her meddling in my mind. Fuck.

My head begins to ache as tendrils of thought creep in from outside in the bar. Whispers of violence… of fear… of exceptions to rules. They want answers, they don't trust what she could become… again.

"They're all afraid of me."

Their emotions are washing over me like a tidal wave and chocking me. The tears bubble up again as I try and catch my breath, but it just comes in short gasps.

"I'm sorry…" Digger says quietly as he moves to help me sit up a little so I can breath easier. "We tried to stop ya, but…"

"Show me off like a dog, old men covered in blood, it never touched them but they're drowning in it… so much loss…"

"Doll?" Digger says places his hands on either side of my head and tries to force me to focus on him.

"Look at me doll. Focus on me." He says as he holds my gaze.

I try and ground myself… hold on to anything in his head to try and keep the panic at bay. There's possessiveness and anger buried deep in his gaze, along with lust. It's like watching him paint a picture of what he sees in front of him.

A picture I'm not sure I can measure up to. "Put a bullet to me. Bullet in the brain pan, squish." I say as I try and break his gaze and turn my head away.

But he's not giving up that easily and his hands snap my face back towards his as he moves mere inches from me so I am forced to look at nothing but him.

"Don't say that. Not ever. We'll get through this."

Was that an echo? Didn't someone tell me that before? She can remember traces of a memory… but that's quickly forgotten as Digger's lips gently meet hers.

XXX

The tension in the bar is still thick from the fight before. Except with no clear enemy to fight, they're starting to get tetchy with each other. Harley and Flag are holding position outside the restroom… well trying to hold position and keep an increasingly more testy Deadshot in line.

"So we're just supposed to keep goin? After all that just happened?" Deadshot seethes as he paces back and forth.

"She's never done something like this." Flag says unflinchingly.

"But she has done something before? I'd like you to elaborate on 'something'. What she has done?"

There is an uneasiness as Flag tries to not look away from the man in front of him, but Deadshot refuses to let up though. "Would one of them happen to be, "Kill everybody in the room"?"

Flag's eyes falter and he can't help but look away. "She mentioned triggers…"

"Jesus christ man!" Deadshot yells. "You brought her out here knowing full well she might go monkeyshit at the wrong word and you never said a thing…"

"She's a soldier!" Flag says as he steps up to Deadshot. "She knew what the mission…"

"FUCK THE MISSION. You had a fuckin' time-bomb with us!"

Before tensions mount any higher a glass can be heard breaking against a wall and both men look at the direction of who threw it. "Will you two just cut the macho posturing bullshit!?" Harley yells at them as they both blink in surprise at what she just said.

"You really want to side with him on this Harl?" Deadshot says somewhat stunned.

"Oh, I got all the reason to side with him!" Harley says as she moves from the stool she had been perched on to stand in front of Deadshot and poke him in the chest. "I TOLD YOU TO LAY OFF HER! But did you listen? NO!" Harley says as she shoves Deadshot for emphasis.

"You really want to push me Harley?" Deadshot says as he moves to step back into her face.

XXX

River's POV

He'd been trying to take it slow. He didn't plan to kiss her, but like most things with Digger Harkness, he acted on impulse. An impulse to comfort me. To trade the pain I felt with a kiss. It doesn't last more than a second or two, but the minute he begins to pull away I feel an immense sense of loss. Like a fire had been stoked by that simple kiss and she needed more.

While I can't move my arms to pull him back towards me, I am quick to close the distance between our lips before he can pull too far away.

This kiss wasn't chaste. It was a battle of tongues and wills. I'm aching to touch him… aching to pull the lifeline he's become closer.

The air seems to buzz around me and the next thing I feel is a realize of tension in my arms… and I realize I've somehow managed to slip the cuffs from them? I break the kiss and look down at my freed hands. How did that happen?

"How'd you do that?" Digger says as he also looks at my free hands in front of me.

"I… don't know."

And like that the spell is broken.

 _"You had a fuckin' time-bomb with us!"_ Deadshot's voice echoes into the room and I throw a glance towards the door.

"They need answers." I says as I move to stand up.

"You ready for this?"

I cock my head to the side… it's another echo… another not so distant memory?

"Are you?"

He throws me his signature toothy grin. "I'm not goin' anywhere doll."

It's nice to know he means it as I follow him back to into the waiting lion's den.

"What the FUCK do you think you're doing?" Deadshot say as he raises his pistol towards me as I walk back into the room.

I raise my hands slowly as guns are unholstered and pointed in every direction.

I steady my gaze and level it at Deadshot. "She's a puzzlement, that girl. Don't make sense… 'Cept sometimes she does. Is there any way out of this?"

His gaze narrows but he doesn't remove his finger from the trigger. "That is a hell of a parlor trick."

"Not a parlor trick. She… I… told you, I was tortured. The who, what, when, where, and how aren't the important questions. It's the why. The reason… the purpose behind it all."

Click… click… click… she hears them all begin to piece it together.

"To make you into a weapon." Deadshot says evenly.

"To hone it, mold it, and shape me into their ideal. A perfect psychic assassin."

And now the disbelief sets in from around the room.

"Woah now." Flag starts trying to get her to cut story time short.

"Ain't no such thing." A few of the Alpha team mumbles under their breath.

Digger's slightly confused. "Psychic? Like a comic-book?"

Only Harley and Chato are firmly believing everything she is saying.

"To do their bidding." Harley says solemnly.

"To wage their war." Chato chimes in shortly after.

"I was always gifted… my brother called me a gift. I could always hear whispers. Faint and just underneath the surface. Like a gut instinct but more salient."

I steal my resolve and take a deep breath before I continue. "What they did to me… was…" Harley comes up beside me and offers her a hand to squeeze. I take her hand. It's a small gesture, but what I needed, and I continue on.

"The cut into my brain. Stripped the amygdala. Instead of hearing whispers, I hear everything… feel everything. Which means they could also implant controls, triggers, and training."

"They made you into a living weapon." Deadshot says as his finger finally slides away from his trigger and he holsters his gun. Everyone else follows suit.

They don't say anything, but they are all carefully appraising her. Wanting to ask more, but not wanting to trigger another episode.

It's Chato that finally breaks the silence. "So what the fuck are we walkin' into?"

XXX

The rag tag group was gathered around one of the large tables in the back of the bar. River's notes and binder spread out for everyone to look at and study. Flag walks them through the briefing.

"Three days ago, a non-human entity appeared in the subway station."

"Non-human?" Digger asks confused from where he's leaning against the bar.

"A meta-human. Like him or Croc, but different." Harley says as she motions towards Diablo.

Flag continues. "So Waller sent me and a woman with incredibles abilities. Another meta-human known as Enchantress."

"Seems like these meta-humans are a whole lotta trouble. No offense guys." Deadshot says as he studies the notes on Enchantress.

"None taken." Chato says dismissively while Croc just growls.

Again, Flag continues. "Nobody could get near this thing ...but Enchantress could…Needless to say the whole thing was a bad idea. She bolted."

"So that's it, huh? We're some kind of suicide squad? Sent in to a place that will get us killed and if we fail you all just pin it on us."

Flag doesn't say anything, but his silence pretty much confirms what Deadshot is saying.

"So where does she come into this picture?" Deadshot says as he motions towards where River is perched on the bar near Digger.

XXX

River's POV

"While you may be the suicide squad, your directive wasn't to engage with the target. It was to evacuate HVT1 and carry the weapon used to neutralize non-human entity threats."

"Meaning, we get mean ol'boss lady out then take you to the center of all this."

"More or less." I say with a shrug.

There's a moment where the situation starts to sink in to everyone's thoughts. The gravity and seriousness of it all. Everything that's riding on this, and everything they stand to lose.

"Look…I know none of you asked for this. That you all wound up here because of me. That you were all running from something. But we've all come to the same place. And I'm asking more of you than I ever should. But I can't leave this place like this. I can't let _her,_ Enchantress, ruin…"

I stop myself short of the full truth. It might be just too much for them to hear right now.

"Everything that we love… or our hope." I say before they can question why I paused. My words sink in and I feel a wash of emotions float into their heads as they reflect on what it is that they do love.

"So no more running." I say as I move to the backpack I discarded earlier and fish out a stack of letters. I turn and stride over to where Deadshot sits and shove the stack towards him.

"Your daughter writes you everyday. Every single day." I say with sorrow.

There is a flash of fury in his face as he looks at the letters in his hands. But it's gone just as soon. "You had these the whole time? You had letters from my daughter the whole time?"

"She loves you. More than anything in this world. It doesn't matter what you are, to her you will always be her father."

The flood of emotion that comes off Deadshot is almost overwhelming. It's everything all at once, backed with a new found resolve to keep pushing forward.

"Im gonna get you there. And you're gonna end this. Im gonna carry your ass if I have to. 'Cause this shit is gonna be like a chapter in the Bible. Everybody's gonna know what we did. And my daughter is gonna know that her daddy is not a piece of shit.

"I'll come." Harley pipes up as she raises her hand in the air.

Chato and Diablo look at her questioningly.

"What? You got something better to do?" Harley questions.

"No, I'm in." Croc says with a laugh.

"I always did like a spot of tasty trouble." Digger says from behind me. I blush at his words and turn to smirk at him. He throws a wink in my direction.

"Aww, the team is getting along!" Harley says with slightly psychopathic glee.

I roll my eyes but do allow myself to smile momentarily.

"Alright, enough of the pep talk shit…. You got a plan cooked up in that genius brain of yours?" Flag says as he brings everyone back to the task at hand.

"The demo charge you left down in the subway. It's still viable." I say as I move to spread out a map of the city on the table in front of everyone. "The tunnel is likely flooded from the amount of damage done to the pipes underneath the station, but might be clear of major debris. If the SEALs can recover the charge to set it. We can distract and target the thing helping Enchantress and take it out.

"You think those things can swim?" One of the SEALs asks as he pears over the map.

"Possibly. You would need all of you down there to secure the tunnel."

"Hate to break it to you but, we're a man short." GQ says from his seat.

"Not if he goes with them." I say as I motion towards Croc.

The SEALs suspiciously eye Croc. "We got this Tam."

"She's not asking bro." Croc says with a small snarl. "I live underground. Y'all are just tourists."

"You're going to need help if the Reavers are down there. You won't have your weapons to use."

"See? She got this." Croc says as he motions to fist bump him. I oblige the gesture.

"So what about the rest of us? Distract and draw this thing to where we want it?" Flag asks. "What about Enchantress?"

I hide the wince her name gives me. "She'll have her hands full with me."

"You sure you can take her?" Deadshot asks.

No. I'm not sure I can take her. But I don't want to tell them that. "Only one way to find out."

XXX

AN: Okay. We're getting close to the big showdown. Anyone else excited? Till next time ;)


	15. You could make it real

AN: Happy New Year! I know it has been awhile since I updated. Sorry. I was chatting with Villemoo over the break who encouraged me to get back to this, and I finally did. I hope those of you that are still reading it enjoy this update!

Chapter 14: You could make it real

XXX

Flag didn't like it, didn't like the plan. There were a lot of unknowns, including whether Tam would be able to take on Enchantress.

But he also knew better than to argue with Tam right now.

"Alright people, ready your gear and prepare for a fight. Alpha team I want a brief recon report before you head into the sewers. Let's try and have an understanding of what we're walking into. We move out in 30."

Alpha team quickly begin sorting through their equipment to see what is useable and a few of the freaks begin to check their own weapons.

From the corner of Flag's peripheral vision, he sees Tam's form slink over to the rear exit. He looks over at Katana and gives her a small nod, and watches as the other woman follows after her.

XXX

River's POV

As Flag had called ready up, the room felt instantly claustrophobic and my skin had prickled. I needed to calm myself and the only thing that would do that right now would be air and room to breath. I quietly make my way towards the back exit and push open the door, careful to leave it cracked so Katana would not alert the others when she opened it a few moments later. I could feel her and Flag watching me as I made my exit, and I knew he would send her after me.

As I lean against a wall in the adjoining alley, the cool night air hits my skin and offers little relief to the tingling I feel. I close my eyes and steady my breathing as I hear her faint footsteps coming outside. I also hear the clicking of another set of footsteps behind Katana.

They are both silent as they move to stand near me, both patiently waiting for me to find my center. After a few more deep breaths, I feel more grounded and open my eyes to meet theirs.

 _"_ _Yoriyoi?"_ Katana asks as I roll my neck and shoulders and am rewarded with a few audible cracks in my spine.

" _Anmari. Shikashi, watashi wa nani o subeki ka o shitte imasu._ " I respond quietly.

She studies my face for a moment more before giving me a small nod and returning back inside. I watch Harley make a face at Katana's back before she turns back to me. I can't help but feel a smirk pull up the corner of my lip.

"It's okay you know, to not be okay with all this shit." Harley says as she moves to stand next to me.

I smile at her and let myself sink down to more of a crouched position against the wall. Leave it to the Doc to fall back into her therapy.

"Do you want me to tell you what you expect to hear?" I say with a chuckle.

"Naw. I know you know what I'm doing out here. And I know you're smart enough to talk if you wanna. Just wanted to say it to you is all." She says as she slides down too.

"I do wanna ask though. What happened before you and Digger came bustin' in there. Cause he had a serious blush on his face."

I groan and put my face in my hands, half stifling a laugh at the same time. "Only you would have noticed that." I say holding in laughter.

"DUH!" Harley says as she knocks my shoulder lightly. "Sooo?"

"He kissed me… or I kissed him… I don't know."

I can almost feel the joy radiating off the psychotic doc now. "Ohhhh! Did the beard tickle? I never kissed a guy with that much facial hair. Was it a good kiss? What'd he say after?"

"I.. I don't know?" I tell her confusion likely lacing my expression.

"That's alright hunny,...You know what they say about the crazy ones." She says with an eyebrow waggle to be funny. "I can remember my first kiss with Mister J… I was a ball of confusion and butterflies…"

Harley's still talking but I'm completely lost in my own thoughts I start to miss what she's saying. It striking how similar she is to Kaylee… pure energy and emotion. It's a bittersweet comparison for me to make and I quickly try and push those thoughts away.

Luckily, someone else helps with that shortly after.

"If you two are done out here we're heading out." Flag says from the doorway.

I nod my head and get back to my feet. Harley does the same as she sticks out her tongue at Flag and blows a raspberry at him. "Why'd you have to go and ruin our perfectly good girl time!"

"In case you forgot, we got a job to do! Girl time or whatever that shit is can wait." Flag says before heading back inside.

Harley blows another raspberry. "Spoil sport."

I chuckle. "Come on Doc." I say as I start to walk back inside. Before I do though I give her a quick side hug.

"Thanks."

"No problem hunny." She says as she returns the hug.

XXX

River's POV

We left GQ and Frost at the bar. They weren't going to be much help in the big fight and someone needed to keep Enchantress's heart away from her. We had walked along the the street until we came to the subway entrance. There, we had split from the SEALs and Croc and continued along to the side entrance of the terminal. It was eerily quiet along the street… no noise… no Reavers…

 _"_ _Little girl…"_ Enchantress's voice echoes in my head. _"Lost little girl."_

I try and block her out as we enter the terminal and begin to move around the rubble and debris. Everyone is moving as quietly as they can, each trying to hide along the periphery to avoid being seen.

I am standing near Harley and Digger as I look up and down the line to see where everyone is at. Katana and Flag are to our left and further behind her is Diablo and Deadshot. I take a breath and get ready to peek out into the room from behind the rubble when Enchantress's voice breaks the silence.

 _"_ _Ive been waiting for you all night. Step out of the shadows. I wont bite."_

I see Harley shrug her shoulders and look over and me motioning for me to go, but I shake my head in the negative. She doesn't seem to agree and begins to walk past Digger to go out into the room.

I don't think it's wise to give up our hiding spots just yet and Flag seems to agree as he motions for Deadshot to grab Harley, and he promptly does and pulls her to where he and Diablo are standing.

Enchantress continues to taunt us and her voice begins to boom in my ears.

 _"_ _Why are you here? Because the soldier led you?"_

Is she talking to me? Or to everyone else? I'm not entirely sure. My head begins to feel foggy.

 _"_ _No matter… I already know why. And I really should thank you all… you gave me exactly what I want."_

My stomach begins to sink as the tingling on my skin comes back… except this time… it feels as if I am being pricked by hundreds of needles and my head continues to fog over.

 _"_ _You brought me_ ** _my_** _weapon, after all."_

XXX

 _It's a freefall. Falling through their minds… each of their deepest desires. Some are only glimpses, others are more salient. Blood, longing, lust…_

 _Deadshot stands in the alleyway where Batman had cornered him and his daughter. He was Floyd Lawton then, but he's Deadshot right now since his daughter isn't there. He draws his pistol in an instant and doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. The gun is aimed square between the eyes. I expect to feel myself fall to the pavement below, but I'm merely a ghost trespassing in his thoughts. I turn and look down at the body behind me…Batman._

 _When I turn to look back at Deadshot he's gone and I am no longer in that alleyway. I'm in a suburban kitchen looking at two small wide eyed babies in identical high chairs. A boy and a girl._

 _Their bright blue eyes look in the direction of the object of their attention, their mother. They are the spitting image of Harleen… not Harley. She strides over, hair in rollers, bathrobe loosely tied around her frame. She expertly picks both of them up and walks the short distance to the doorframe where their father has just come into the room. He isn't the Joker, it's Jack.. and he softly kisses them on each of their heads before kissing Harleen. It's the picture of normalcy._

 _Tears are beginning to sting at my eyes and I feel the longing in that dream. But before that emotion takes over I feel calloused hands running up and down my arms._

 _I turn and look at him… still slightly rough around the edges muttonchops, and still sporting a purplish black eye. I open my mouth to say something, but his descends on mine before I can say anything… his tongue probing and seeking entrance at my lips. I feel my body being backed up against something and I tumble down onto the bed I didn't realize was behind me as his body follows along. Nerve endings are ignited with each touch._

 _This isn't real, I remind myself. It's what she wants me to see._

 _"_ _But you could make it real." Enchantress's voice echoes in my head._

 _I feel a slight panic rise up in me, and maneuver myself out from underneath him and quickly and dart towards the closed door a few feet away. I open it and dart through while quickly closing it behind me._

 _I'm not sure if I am still in the same dream until I see someone else looking at me just as wide eyed sitting on the couch on the other side of the room. He gets up from the couch and walks over to me, lea sing behind the ghost of his wife._

 _"_ _This isn't real." He says as he meets me in the center of the room. There is pain in his voice, and I know he hates saying those words._

 _"_ _It could be." I say softly trying to hold in the tears._

 _"_ _I can't change what I did. And neither can you." He says as the wind is sucked out of my lungs._

XXX

I'm gasping for breath as I fall to my knees back in Midway City. I feel someone's hands helping me up and look up to see Diablo.

"It's okay homie, I gotcha." He says.

"Thanks." I say as I look around to all the others. They all seem a little dazed, each one still clerking their dreams from their minds.

"He married me." Harley says as she looks around half expecting to see Joker there.

"It wasn't real." Flag says as he checks his weapon and looks around.

Deadshot does the same. "I killed the Bat."

"Naw homie, you don't want that." Diablo says as he moves towards Deadshot.

"What? I want that?" Digger says as he looks over at me, a grin slightly visible on his mouth. I can't help but blush.

"She's playing games with us man, it ain't real."

"He's right." I say as my voice finally seems to come back to me and I reach for my blades. "It's not real, and it's time to deal with this bitch." I move from behind the fallen debris and out towards the center of the room.

XXX

Translations:

Yoriyoi? - Better?

Anmari. Shikashi, watashi wa nani o subeki ka o shitte imasu. - Not really. But I know what I have to do.


	16. Let's go to war

Chapter 15: Let's go to war

XXX

River's POV

There she is… in all her twisted glory. Enchantress stands on the landing halfway between the first and second stairs of the main hall. A swirling cesspool of black magic and lights behind her. It twists and turns, almost pulsing with life. I wonder if that's how she made them… the Reavers.

It's then that I feel her. Feel her trying to pull me back under. Pull me under her spell as I walk closer to the center of the room. I refuse to let her, and use all my mental strength not to succumb. She cackles as she descends a few steps.

"Such a silly little girl. Do you really think you can resist me?"

I hear the others cock their weapons and take a few steps. I hold my hand and signal them to stay back. I feel their apprehension, but they also don't move closer.

"I'm stronger than you think." I spit at her.

"Of course you are, dear child," she says before her cackle reverberates off the stone walls around us. "That's why I brought you here afterall." And she continues to cackle. "I brought you here to be a weapon of change. The sun is setting and the magic rises. The metahumans are a sign of change. This… body…" she says as she does a bit of twirl on the stairs as she takes another step towards me… "is highly inadequate for what I have planned."

Flag's worry over June and her words hit me square in the chest. "You brought me here to be your next vessel…" I say with disgust.

She cackles again and I feel sick to my stomach. It's all I ever am… a thing. A thing to toy with… a mind to dissect… a body to use and discard. And I am blinded by rage as she continues to laugh.

"Poor lost little girl… but you were never a girl were you? You were always just… a… weapon." She says punctuating each word.

Every memory pours into me. Each needle that pricked my skin in the name of science. Each subliminal message encoded in my brain. Each stolen memory of bloodshed and injustice. And I feel them all bubbling… feel them trying to consume my being.

Except this time I won't let her use them against me.

XXX

Deadshot watches as the tiny girl in front of him lets our a tangled scream and launches herself at the thing in front of her… blades drawn and raining down a fury of blade and strikes. He watches as out of nowhere Enchantress conjures her own set of blades and they enter a whirling dervish duel of clashing metal against metal.

"We need to figure out how to help her." Flag says as he begins march forward.

Harley and the others are quick to move as well, but everyone stops as the echoing of much larger footsteps fills their ears. Everyone turns and looks at the giant of monster…Incubus…enters the room from the adjoining hall.

"Oh shit!" Deadshot says as takes in the monster's size.

"Uh-oh!" Harley says as she echoes Deadshot's sentiments.

"Who's this? Its gonna be bad!" Boomerang says audible gulps.

They watch as Incubus looks towards the two women dueling on the other side of the room and takes a step towards them.

"Oh HELL naw!" Deadshot says as he opens fire on Incubus.

"Light him up, we can't let him get to Tam!" Flag yells as he begins firing as well and the others are quick to follow suit.

The entire room erupts into war. And each of the squad members is quick to try and do their best keeping Incubus away from Enchantress and Tam. But it is quickly becoming clear they are no match for Incubus' size or strength.

"We gotta get him in that corner! Thats where the bomb will be." Flag says over the sound of gun fire.

"I'll do it! I'll get him there." Diablo say as he starts to walk towards the towering figure.

Deadshot is quick to try and pull him back. "Look, think it through…"

But Diablo shrugs off the hand on his shoulder and continues to move out of cover. "I got this. Let me show you what I really am."

And they watch as each step Diablo takes his form changes… first to a blazing inferno that engulfs his body… and from the flames rises a giant flaming Aztec skeletal figure in his place.

XXX

...Below in the sewers….

The SEAL's were almost in position. They had another 200 yards to go before they would reach the bomb and hadn't run into any of those things… yet. As the first SEAL reaches the bomb their luck runs out and the Reavers seem to appear out of no where. They are quickly swarmed as Croc tries to shred them and keep them from the lead SEAL team member going for the bomb.

The SEAL watches as Croc and the others are being over run and moves to turn back and help.

Croc is quick to stop him and yells at the man. "Go!" He says as he keeps clawing, shredding, and biting at the Reavers surrounding him.

The SEAL doesn't hesitate and continues swimming ahead to the drop point. He surfaces at the designated point and plants the bomb and readies the charge.

"Rick, in position. Standing by."

XXX

...Up above…

Flag hears his comms cackle to life. "Rick, in position. Standing by." He calls out to Diablo. "Drive him into the corner!" He says as he motions to the one he means.

The skeleton that is Diablo nods and begins to push with all his might against Incubus. While Incubus towers over they fiery Aztec god, he is no match for his strength.

"Get him mate. Come on." Boomerang cheers as Diablo continues to gain ground.

"Yeah, do it!" Harley yells.

Diablo sends a blistering fireball at Incubus, and pushes him the last bit he needs. The Incubus is knocked down, and Diablo moves to back away from the blast zone, but Incubus reaches out and grab hold of him. He's unable to break free and as he continues to struggle, Incubus seems to be syphoning Diablo's power out of his body.

"Diablo, get clear Get out of there!" Deadshot yells as he watches in horror as the flames begin to die out and the man is left in the god's place.

"Blow it!" Diablo yells over to the rest of the squad.

XXX

River's POV

Each blow was countered… each offense was met with a defense… there was no ground gained or lost on either side. We're equally matched. The yin and yang of a larger whole.

In a fury I go to strike a crippling blow and we end locked up in front of each other.

"Your resistance is futile… little girl." Enchantress hisses as me, but I refuse to yield.

"You've already ruined my world…I refuse to let you ruin this world as well." I say as push harder.

"Are you really so blinded by your own insecurities? Are you so desperate for any form of affection you would blindly throw away your chance at greatness? To rule them?"

I refuse to listen. But as I block out what Enchantress is taunting me with, I hear something else… I hear Diablo's words, and the order Flag gives.

"NO!" I yell as I reach slip and turn towards them two battling figures on the other side of the room.

It's a slip…and it's what she was waiting for.

XXX

...Elsewhere...

They're a ball of nervousness as they try and hide themselves in the bar. Both of them were perfectly capable in a fight, but with GQ's busted leg, he wasn't going to move quickly or be able to keep up if their location was discovered by those things outside. And they could hear things… creeping around outside… hunting.

GQ watches as Frost peeks through the blinds, finger on the trigger, as if he half expects something to pop up and go boo!

"What do you think they are?" Frost asks in hushed whispers.

"Tam called them Reavers, something from a nightmare or something."

"Stuff of science fiction, you ask me. Look like they mauled their own faces off."

There is an electricity in the air and the street outside seems to go quiet. GQ and Frost quick nods and begin to lift their sidearms…

Frost looks outside again and watches as a blinding light ascends towards the sky from the Central Station a few hundred yards down the street.

"Shit." He says as he backs up towards GQ.

"Come on." GQ says as he begins to try and stand from where he is sitting. "We're sitting ducks we stay here and they may need us."

XXX

...Back with the squad...

The entire room is engulfed in a blinding flash as the bomb goes off. It sends most of the squad members flying as rubble and debris erupts from where Incubus and Diablo once stood.

But that's not all that is sent flying from the explosion.

They didn't see what happened… on the other side of the room as Flag gave his order.

Didn't see the ball of swirling, smokey, dark energy that had engulfed the two women locked in their duel in a split second. They didn't see the blinding light that had been emitted from the swirling lights on the stairs behind them… and they also didn't see Diablo disappear just as the bomb detonated.

But what they did see… as the dust was just starting to settle… was three bodies… falling from a spark of that same dark energy…

"What the hell?" Deadshot says as watch Diablo lift his head and try and get to up. Deadshot quickly runs out to help him and the others cautiously approach the other two figures laying face down on the ground… not sure if they are dead or not.

"Homie, how did you…" Deadshot says as he helps Diablo.

Diablo looks over at one of the figures a few feet away. "I felt her… reach out and pull me in…somewhere." He says as he points at the figure Boomerang cautiously turns over. It was Tam.

"Then who is…." Flag says as he watches Katana turn over the other body to reveal Dr. June Moone… not Enchantress.

"What… the… hell." Harley says as she glances between the two women.

There is a splash behind them and Deadshot and Diablo quickly turn to confront the noise. They are mildly shocked to see Croc emerging from the hole in the ground that had just blown Incubus to pieces. "Did we get them?" He says as he walks over to the group.

But before anyone can say another word, Tam's eyes pop open as she gasps for breath.

"Doll?" Boomerang says as he turns her face towards him. But the worry lines are quick to set back on his brow as he watches the irises of her eyes begin to turn pitch black and she falls back unconscious.

XXX

River's POV

I was awake… but at the same time I wasn't. I was back… back where it all started. But the voices didn't fade as I opened my eyes. They were creeping out of every crack and crevice of her mind. But they weren't mockingbirds… they were silent nothingness.

"I started a joke… which started the whole world crying…" _Her_ voice calls out to me through the silent nothingness of their voices.

My eye's snap open and I stare at the same familiar sight… The same familiar metal ceiling and walls of my room. I sit up and take everything in. It was just as I left it… just as it was when she ripped me away.

I hear her words echo around the room. "But I didn't see…that the joke was on me…"

I slowly raise myself up and try and clear my mind. It's a jumble, like I had been on a carousel for far too long and hadn't gotten off. I stumble towards the door.

"I looked at the skies… running my hands over my eyes…" Her voices continues from down the hall. Leading me in the direction she wants me to go.

It's all too familiar, just like when she had stolen me away. My heart aches at the memory of that night. It had all been such a mess. I don't remember how Jayne's gun got in my hand… it was an object. It didn't mean what I thought it meant. It was still so hard to comprehend back then… so crowded inside my head.

"I fell out of bed… Hurting my he'd from the things I said…"

Each one had been frightened, frightened by the curious little girl. A figment of something that shouldn't have been what it was. And when I enter the cargo bay, it's exactly the scene I see before me.

Frozen in time, exactly as I remember. Perfect imperfections of each one of them. I take deliberate and delicate steps towards the former version of myself. Or was it just a piece of who I really was? Am I two separate people? Or is it all in my head?

I reach a hand out tentatively towards that girl, but as quickly as I do it fades to dust… they all do, and I am left alone in the belly of Serenity with her laughter echoing off the walls.

I feel like I am caught between them all.. caught between two worlds at once.

"I finally died… which started the hole world living…" She taunts me as I stand in front of those cargo doors again.

And I'm back where it all began. Staring at her reflection in the doors that lead out to the inky blackness of space.

"If only I'd seen…that the joke was on me."

XXX

They didn't know what to do. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

It started at her eyes, an inky blackness that seemed to creep along the veins just under her pale skin. But it was spreading… and it was was spreading quickly.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Boomerang says as he moves her body so he can cradle her in his lap.

Harley's practically throws herself next to Digger and begins to examine her. "It's like a a virus… it's spreading." She says as she touches the skin along her face where the black tendrils began to appear.

XXX

AN: Okay, I am sorry it took me so long to update. But I hope you are happy with the latest update/ where the story is going. Is it what you expected?

Anyways, we are getting very close to the end of the fanfic, and I am back into the creative spirit, so I am hoping to have this finished up in the next few weeks. Til' next time everyone ;)


	17. Destroyer of worlds

AN: Bet you didn't think this would be up so soon! That's the beauty of a day off to rest. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 16: Destroyer of worlds

XXX

The cold marble floor is the first thing to prick his senses as he starts to come out of his dreamlike trance. The smell of explosives invades his nostrils next. Slowly, the Joker sits up and looks around. He vaguely remembers being dragged here but those things. Thrown to the floor in front of some witch. She had barked at Waller… was that the broad's name? Next thing he knew he had passed out.

His consciousness and senses catch back up to him and he groans and staggers to his feet, looking around as he does. He sees the broad a few feet away from him and shrugs. Not his loss. But he also hears something… something coming from the other side of the room.

"Well what do we have here…" He says as he staggers towards the rest of the group.

They all turn towards him… startled by the unexpected voice he imagines since they all draw their weapons.

"Jeez… jumpy crowd."

"Puddin!" Harley yells as she practically flies towards him and wraps her arms around him.

He stumbles slightly as she catches him but rights himself before he falls. "Careful baby, Daddy feels like my heads been exploded one too many times."

It's then that the Joker sees the figure lying on the ground that Harley had been next to a moment before.

"What's wrong with kitty-cat?"

XXX

River's POV

It's a mirror image… standing here again… like a lifetime ago. But was it lifetime, or just a breath of time and space?

"Ahh… but you assume that time and space are indeed measurable." Enchantress says as she appears to read my thoughts and moves through the doors and into the cargo bay proper. "Even you… with all your gifts … should know better than that. No… even you should be able to see what this really is… who we really are."

I feel my head twitch to the side as I consider her words. And I feel the pieces click into place in my head. As they do, a smile creeps onto her lips.

"One consequence… one outcome out of many. There is no one universe. There is a multitude."

"And what happens when those multiple universes interact?" She goads me, like a villain goading a hero. Except I was never the hero in this story.

"A particle shift…explosive reaction… enough to create a new universe in its wake."

She smiles… a full smile that makes her seem less human and more snake…with razor like teeth on display. "Precisely."

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach and I feel myself breaking in two. I was indeed her weapon. She had maneuvered me through time and space to be the intersecting point in each. Two atoms on a path of collision. "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

"River?"

My breath catches in my throat. I hadn't expected to hear the voice behind me, and it's effect on me is like plunging into icy water; my entire body goes into shock.

XXX

The squad stands around River's body lying on the floor, her head cradled in Digger's lap. The virus... or whatever it is, continues to spread along her body.

Then there is the unmistakable hiss of inhuman breathing and crack of electricity fill their ears. One by one, they turn and look towards the swirling black magic that they had ignored up until now.

"Guys…" Harley says as she takes a few steps back towards the squad.

It's then that the first Reaver seems to appear out of the swirling mass. No one knows what to think, but as the next one appears… seeming to be spit out of thin air… the squad snaps to action.

"Light'em up! Keep them away from them!" Flag screams as he scrambles from Dr. Moone's side to lay down heavy fire.

Deadshot and Katana are quick to join the fray, while Harley dashes forward to help Digger with Dr. Moone and Tam. Croc strides past her, an animalistic roar emanating from him, while Diablo starts letting loose a barage of fireballs.

"Puddin' help me with this one!" Harley says as she starts to scoop Dr. Moone's arm around her shoulder to drag her away.

The Joker does so without protest, and they drag Dr. Moone behind the downed pillar that Digger had carried Tam to.

"Don't let those things get close to them." Harley says to Digger before she turns to walk back towards the fight. Digger gives her a small nod as he once again positions Tam's head in his lap.

But before Harley can get back to the others to help, she feels her arm being yanked towards one of the doors that leads out of the main hall.

"PUDDIN!" She yells as she tries to wrench her arm out of the Joker's grasp.

"Yes, baby?"

"Where the hell do you think we're goin'?" Harley says as continues to try and head towards the squad.

"We're gettin' while the gettin's good hun. It's you and me." He doesn't even bother to look over his shoulder as he continues to drag her along.

And for once in Harley's life… she's utterly disgusted with him, her Puddin.

"NO!" She says as she finally yanks her arm free. "I ain't leavin'um like this."

XXX

…Back on Serenity…

River's POV

I turn and take in his disheveled form. The vestiges of sleep still linger on his face, and they mix together with genuine concern.

"Simon." His name falls from my lips in an almost pleading manner.

"What are you doing down here? I heard you get up, did you have another nightmare?"

Enchantress's laugh echoes through my mind and I feel like my mind is breaking apart.

I shake my head and try to keep tears from falling from my eyes. "No Simon. Not a nightmare." I close the distance between us and throw my arms around him. Embracing him a tight hug that it takes a minute for him to return.

"Hey… hey. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here." He says as he rubs soothing circles on my back.

It feels so wonderful. To have him here in this moment with me. It is bittersweet, and I know this moment with Simon is one of the ones I will cherish for the rest of my life. "Simon…" I say as I start to pull away. "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me."

"Of course River, that's what I am here for." He says as he looks at me with a look of puzzlement on his face.

"But now it's my turn to take care of you."

His look of confusion continues to grow as the worry lines increase on his face. He's about to speak when the warning buzzers of Serenity's systems begin to blare throughout the space. "I don't understand."

I smile at him, as the tears begin to stream down my face. "I'm sorry…" I say before she punches him in the throat and then delivers a kick to his head.

XXX

…Back in Midway City…

The Joker is rarely surprised by the woman in front of him. Rarely did she do what he did not expect. She was completely devoted to him. He asked her to kill, she did so without batting an eye. But he was surprised by the fact that this was the moment she chose to defy him.

He looks as if she has backhanded him across the face. He does not like this new spine she seems to have grown. "Let's go home baby." The Joker growls at her.

"NO! I ain't leaving!"

He erupts in anger. "AFTER EVERYTHING I DID TO GET YOU OUTTA HERE? AFTER EVERYTHING _SHE_ DID TO PUT YOU HERE!"

But Harley refuses to back down. "SHE DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE… AND I AIN'T LEAVING HER HERE WITH THEM!" She yells back at him.

It's at this moment that GQ and Frost come hobbling into the atrium, almost running straight into Harley and the Joker.

"BOSS!" Frost yells as he helps the kid hobble closer to the two of them.

"Where do you think you two are going?" GQ asks as he looks between the two. The unmistaken of gunfire and a battle is just beyond them in the other room.

"We're outta here." Joker says as he once again turns to leave while grabbing for Harley's arm. Except this time she pulls her gun on him.

"No… I'm not!" She says as she moves closer to support GQ. Frost moves towards his boss, and they are effectively squaring off.

"Boss?" Frost questions. His hand hovering over where his sidearm is holstered.

Neither Harley or Joker look away from each other. Nothin is said between the two, but it's the first time that the Joker realizes that she is just as unpredictable as he was.

"Let's go." He says to Frost as he turns and walks away.

Harley narrows her eyes at his retreating form out the door and blows a raspberry behind his back before turning and helping GQ back towards where the others are fighting. She quickly gets him situated near Digger and the two unconscious females. "Keep her safe." Is all she says to the two of them before she runs back to where the others are still fighting the onslaught of Reavers that keep appearing.

XXX

Malcolm Reynolds was never a heavy sleeper. Too many years spent working on his mama's ranch had taught him that things could go sideways at a moments notice and you had to be prepared. Which is why when the alarm sirens on Serenity started blaring, he was quick to fall into Captain mode.

"Kaylee, need you in the engine room!" He yells into Serenity's comm system before he climbs the ladder out of his bunk. As his bunk door slides open he sees her running towards the engine room.

Wash and Zoe emerge from their bunk almost right after Mal, and Wash doesn't even wait to be told he was needed on the bridge before darting there. Zoe stands at attention in front of Mal, falling back into her role as second in command with ease. "Sir?" She questions Mal.

"Need you on the bridge with Wash, report on whatever it is that is trippin' those alarms." He says quickly.

She nods and follows after her husband.

The next people Mal runs into are Shepherd Book and Jayne. "Captain? What's going on?" Book questions.

"It Reavers?" Jayne says with fear evident in his voice.

"Don't rightly know. But you two need to get down to the weapons lockers and pull enough for the crew. Don't know what we're dealin' with but don't want to be caught with our pants down."

They nod and quickly hurry to grab what they can. Mal walks down the hall to the common area and grabs the com to call into the bridge. "Zoe, talk to me."

"You're going to want to come to the bridge to see this Sir."

XXX

River's POV

I can feel all their minds. Awake, alert, and scared. It's suffocating, and I have to push through their fear to steady myself and not get swept away with it. I run to the nearest porthole to look outside.

"It's a tear… we're colliding and she's tearing the fragile veil that is time in two." I say to myself as I watch the inky magic begin to shot across the sky… electrical tendrils shooting out of the inside.

Her maniacal laughter resounds in my brain. _"My spell is almost complete. Once our worlds have collided, my darkness will spread across both worlds. And it would be mine to rule."_

I swallow the lump in my throat and again choke down the fear I feel emanating from everyone else on the ship. Her laughter continues in my mind. _"For the last time ... join me…and we can rule over them together."_

I will everything I around me to slow down.. time… space… and for the briefest of moments I feel like it does. Feel the weight and suffocation of their fear list from me, and it's in that moment I know what I have to do. I was never meant to be more than a weapon… and a weapon can never be the sum of its parts.

"I'll never let you win." I whisper.

I steal one more glance at Simon's crumpled form on the cargo bay floor before I take off in a run through the rest of Serenity.

XXX

Jayne and Book think nothing River running past them through the hall of Serenity.

"Watch it moon-brain." Jayne says as he moves swiftly to avoid her running into him.

But when they move past her and into the cargo bay, they both immediately question why she was running.

"Doc?" Jayne says as he approaches the crumpled heap on the floor. "You check him, I am going to get the guns." Jayne says to Shepherd Book before turning and moving towards the weapons lockers.

Book roles Simon over and checks his pulse. It's steady and Simon begins to groan. "Where is she?" Simon says as he starts to come to.

"It's alright son, take it easy. What happened?" Book questions as he helps Simon sit up.

XXX

…Midway City…

GQ continues to provide cover for Boomerang, Dr. Moone, and Tam. He fires at a few of the Reavers that have made it past the others or that come in from the back entrance before stealing glances back at the unconscious form of Tam.

"Come on doll, you got this." Digger says as he strokes the side of River's face, which was now almost entirely black.

"What happened?" Dr. Moone says as she starts to come to. GQ and Boomerang turn and look at her. Quickly appraising if it's her or Enchantress.

"That witch caused a whole lotta trouble." GQ says as he fires at another Reaver coming through the back entrance. He was starting to run low on bullets and was getting anxious.

As Dr. Moone sits up and locks at the still unconscious form of River next to her, a horrible feeling settles over her.

"Oh no… she's in her." Dr. Moone says as she moves closer and starts to examine her. "Where is her heart?" She asks.

GQ motions behind him as he continues to hold off the Reavers. "In that case."

Dr. Moone scrambles over to the case and quickly tries to open it.

XXX

River's POV

I won't have much time… I never had much time before Simon found me… he always found me. Just like an older brother should. But what I need to do… where I need to go… there will be no following me there.

" _Your resistance is futile little girl… you cannot undo what has begun."_ Enchantress taunts.

"I will not be your catalyst I will not be the fuse to this deadly collision." I say as I quickly enter the medical bay and seal the door behind me. I quickly punch in Kaylee's override code… the one that can lock any door on Serenity and make it impossible to open. I kick the keypad and smash it for good measure.

I then turn my attention to finding what I need. I need to be quick… I start collecting all the parts I need. Laying them out on the table in front of me. Simon may have been scrimped for more advanced supplies out in the black… but he always made sure he had enough of the basics. And the basics would work just fine.

The ship rocks as if it has been hit… and I know her tear is getting worse outside. If I wait much longer it will be too late.

I hear them… running up the hall. Hear the questions in their heads about what the crazy girl is up to now. When they start banging on the glass to the med bay… I do my best to block them out.

"River, this isn't funny!" Simon says as he yells through the glass.

"Come on Moon brain! QUIT PLAYING GAMES!"

I stare at the syringe and small vial in front of me. It's nothing I have not seen before… not wished for… or welcomed. This time… I greet this as an old friend… on my terms and as a choice.

The ship rocks again and there is a hiss of electricity around the ship. I don't have much longer.

I wrap the tourniquet around my arm and flex my fingers and palm to make my vein more prominent. Once it's visible, I pick up the syringe and plunge it into the vein. AS the plunger is depressed completely, I draw the syringe away and undo the tourniquet. I slump to the floor as I feel the drugs enter my bloodstream.

It's funny in a way. The joke was on me…

I'm still vaguely aware of the screaming and glass breaking behind me as I finally feel it taking hold. I look at the heartbroken face of my brother as my last few moments creep up on me. I smile at him and will myself to mouth one last goodbye.

 _"_ _Till I finally died which started the whole world living."_

XXX

As Dr. Moone frantically opens the case holding Enchantress's heart, she reaches over and grabs one of the karambits on Tam's side.

"WOAH, what do you think you are doing!" Boomerang yells as he tries to move Tam's head out of his lap and get to Dr. Moone before she can bring the blade down to pierce the Witch's heart.

But he's too late, and the blade connects and emits a ghastly sound.

XXX

Croc throws the grenades at the portal, Deadshot swears he hears Tam's voice inside his head. _"Till I finally died which started the whole world living."_

The bullet connects… and the fiery explosion that ensues knocks everyone back on their asses.

XXX

AN: Okay, so I fully admit I cried writing this chapter. Because I always knew it would come to this. I hope you don't hate me too much for this update. But don't worry, we aren't done yet. What do they say about cats? ;)


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